The Marlborough Schools Project (the Project) will transform education in Blenheim and Marlborough by co-locating the two Colleges. Bohally Intermediate will be relocated and modernised. Alongside the Ministry, we are excited to work with the community, and look forward to updating you as the Project progresses.
This is a large and complex project – but it means we have the opportunity to reimagine education for Marlborough students. We want to improve learning outcomes for students by enhancing learning and wellbeing for all, broadening our education offerings, and strengthening pathways to tertiary education and employment.
Our priority for the redevelopment is to provide quality learning environments. We know the Colleges’ buildings affect the experiences of students and staff. The project is an opportunity to deliver modern facilities which meet the Colleges’ diverse educational and social needs, and improve operational efficiency.
This Project will deliver scale and flexibility benefits not achieved by standalone redevelopments. Co-locating the Colleges consolidates facilities, systems and structures, making it more efficient than single-site redevelopments. This will also enhance collaboration between the Colleges, and provide a community hub on a much larger scale than single school redevelopments.
We look forward to partnering with iwi, industry, and other groups to create a lasting Marlborough legacy. It is more than an education rebuild project – it is about a hub for our community, and one that celebrates our cultural history.
A project of such scale and complexity means new ways of working and thinking, and the Project Committee, which includes Bohally Intermediate, have been collaborating on how the schools will come together before co-location, and function together afterwards. The development of the Marlborough Girls’ College (MGC) and Bohally sites means we have to consider how construction will take place while still maintaining focus on teaching and learning. Both Marlborough Boys’ College (MBC) and MGC have collaborated on early design aspects of the new co-located schools, so we can strike the balance between preserving each College’s traditions while also developing a new, shared culture. This means considering everything from the little questions, like the colour of campus signage, to the big questions, like the culture within co-ed learning classes.
The project will support the Top of the South Island in its post-COVID recovery by anchoring infrastructure activity, and by ensuring Marlborough has the skilled workforce it needs to thrive in the longer term. We anticipate construction activity will provide apprenticeships for local students, and procurement practices will support small Marlborough businesses. In the longer term, stronger links with industry and clearer employment pathways will encourage young people to stay in Marlborough.
The Ministry is initiating procurement activities for the project, and has scheduled market briefings to provide the construction industry with information about the project, the proposed procurement approach, timeframes and next steps for providers who would like to be part of this opportunity. The market briefing schedule is as follows:
3 August – Blenheim briefings: A market briefing for contractors and a separate market briefing for other consultants will be held in Blenheim.
4 August – Christchurch briefings: A market briefing for contractors and a separate market briefing for other consultants will be held in Christchurch.
This will be followed by the release of a Registration of Interest (ROI) to the market (week commencing 11 August), seeking registrations from lead contractors.
A notice with further information about the market briefings, including registration information, has been published on the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS). Interested parties must direct their questions per the instructions in the notice on GETS.