New campus layouts will be developed over the next six months for Marlborough Boys’ College, Marlborough Girls’ College and Bohally Intermediate School.
The three kura are being rebuilt in the Ministry of Education’s largest and most complex infrastructure project. Te Tātoru o Wairau is being carried out in partnership with Marlborough iwi.
Following the recently completed project briefing and site investigations for the existing campuses, master planning for the new campuses will begin early next year. This will finalise the future locations of buildings, including cultural features, on the sites.
The two colleges will be co-located on the existing Girls’ College and Bohally Intermediate School site, with Bohally to be relocated to the Marlborough Boys’ College campus.
Master planning also considers ways to minimise disruption to teaching and learning during construction and relocation of the kura, says Scott Evans, Hautū Te Puna Hanganga, Matihiko/Deputy Secretary, Infrastructure and Digital, for the Ministry of Education.
“The requirement to completely rebuild three kura on two campuses, while still operating fully functioning kura on those sites, makes this a highly complex project. The Ministry, iwi and kura remain committed to ensuring that teaching and learning isn’t heavily disrupted during construction,” he says.
The project’s iwi working group is excited to have the cultural narrative project for Te Tātoru o Wairau underway and on target for delivery in early 2022.
“The depth of culture and history to be collated in this resource means it will become a vital reference document for design and construction teams and will be a valuable teaching tool for the three kura long after the built environment is complete,” the working group says.
The new co-located colleges will have a combined floor area of more than 22,700m2, the equivalent of nearly 50 netball courts.
Nearly 130 teaching spaces will provide capacity for 2,500 ākonga across the two kura – a 20 percent increase on current teaching spaces.
The colleges will have around 32 specialist teaching spaces, including laboratories, materials technology, arts and drama facilities. Master planning for the colleges’ campus will consider future roll growth for the colleges of up to 2,600 students – more than 40 percent higher than the current combined rolls.
Bohally Intermediate will be built to cater for 575 students and planned to allow for future expansion to accommodate up to 720 students. The intermediate’s facilities will be more than 600m2 larger than the current kura, with an entitlement for a multipurpose hall that will be nearly twice the size of the current hall.
Bohally Intermediate School Tumuaki/Principal Nicky Cameron-Dunn says moving into the next stage of the project means that Marlborough is getting closer to building its new kura.
“I have been impressed with how the three schools, the local iwi and the ministry have come together to get this project moving ahead. There is positive intent by all parties to create something special for Marlborough and a great space to learn for our rangitahi,” Nicky Cameron-Dunn says.
Marlborough Boys’ College Tumuaki/Principal John Kendal says there are strong foundations for the project to gather momentum in 2022.
“We have appreciated the pragmatism through listening and exploring the best options to deliver high quality learning facilities whilst minimising any disruption. We are excited about master planning work ahead as Te Tātoru o Wairau takes shape,” he says.
“The Ministry of Education has grasped the challenges of engaging a range of stakeholders in 2021 to ensure that the project is truly well placed to deliver on the vision Kia whai hua mō tō tātou hapori ākonga/embracing opportunities for our community of learners.”
Marlborough Girls’ College Tumuaki/Principal Mary-Jeanne Lynch says a large amount of work has been done this year and strong relationships have been developed with all partners.
“This will support our mahi in the years to come. We are very pleased to be moving forward into master planning next year and are looking forward to realising the potential of the collective skills and capabilities across the Te Tātoru o Wairau collective,” she says.
As the project moves into master planning, one factor that will be considered over coming months will be the future use of College Park – a satellite property that is part of the existing Marlborough Boys’ College campus – and whether the park may be a better-suited site for Bohally Intermediate’s relocation than the college’s main location.
A decision on this will be informed by the master planning process.
College Park is owned by Rangitāne o Wairau and leased to the Ministry of Education for educational use. The park is also used by local sports organisations under a sublease to Marlborough District Council which expires in 2028.
Rangitāne o Wairau General Manager, Corey Hebberd, says the iwi is closely involved in Te Tātoru o Wairau and is working alongside the ministry and council as the project progresses, in its role as a Crown partner and landowner of the boys’ college campus.
“Te Tātoru o Wairau is a significant investment in the Wairau. Rangitāne o Wairau is working closely with the ministry, council, kura and contractors to ensure it delivers the best possible intergenerational outcomes for our rangatahi,” Corey Hebberd says.
Marlborough District Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Wheeler, says that with the lease’s expiry on the horizon the council is already working to identify alternative sites for sports users of the park.
“We have had some constructive discussions already with the ministry and will continue liaising closely with them and with sports organisation users of the park as Te Tātoru o Wairau progresses,” Mark Wheeler says.
The park is also used by local sporting codes including hockey, roller skating, cricket, football and rugby. Marlborough Hockey Turf Project Liaison, Andy Rowe, says Marlborough Hockey is aware of College Park being considered during master planning.
“We’re looking forward to working alongside the council, ministry and iwi during master planning, so we can find a suitable alternate site for hockey in the region,” Andy Rowe says.