'Brushed aside': Bay principal frustrated over construction delays

Black mould was discovered in the school's staff room and in all but two of the existing classrooms in 2017. Photo / Supplied

A Kawerau principal says her school has been "brushed aside" four years after most of the school's buildings were demolished due to a black mould discovery.

Rachel Chater, of Kawerau Putauaki School, described delays in renovating the school's administration block and repairing the damage on the grounds caused by the demolition as "frustrating".

She said the potholes, poor-quality concrete and a flood-prone outdoor area were taking a toll on staff and students.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Education said work on the admin block was expected to begin later this year and it was working with the school to deliver the planned works.

Ministry data supplied to the Rotorua Daily Post under the Official Information Act shows construction at the school was initially supposed to be done by quarter two of the 2020/2021 financial year.

But the current construction end date has been pushed out to quarter four of 2022/23.

It also reveals the budget for all Ministry-led projects under construction in the Bay of Plenty-Waiariki education region is around $200 million. The total spend is standing at roughly $80m.

Demolition at Kawerau Putauaki School started in 2018, after black mould was discovered in the school's staff room and in all but two of the existing classrooms.

Chater said temporary classrooms were installed until the first four buildings opened just after the 2020 lockdown. Another four classrooms opened last year, leaving the school with 10 operational teaching spaces.

Two portable buildings were being used on site - one as a classroom, the other as offices.

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Chater said while she was grateful for the new classrooms, the school grounds had become "pretty gross" since the buildings were demolished, with potholes, poor-quality concrete and surface flooding when it rained.

She said working in this environment took was "demoralising for staff" and impacted student well-being when it came to outdoor learning.

"We run a learning-through-play programme - and juniors pretty much can't do anything outside because we have got potholes and horrible concrete.

"Covid has been hard enough, but when you are working in areas that are flooding because the drainage isn't good enough, [with] potholes and messes. It's ongoing."

Kawerau Putauaki School. Photo / Supplied

She said it was "frustrating" they were still waiting for damage caused by demolition to be repaired.

The school was also waiting for two classrooms to be built, and the renovation and extension of its administration block.

Chater said work on the administration block was supposed to finish in July last year, but they still did not have a start date for construction.

She said there had been a "whole heap of delays", and it felt as though building and repair work was not being prioritised.

"It's massively impacting on people's ability to do their job."

She said it felt like work at the school had been "brushed aside", and that "no-one is really pushing to get anything done".

"It just feels like the other schools are getting things happening a lot faster - and we are still waiting to get something that should have been finished long ago.

"It's frustrating - school needs to be the gamechanger for so many people. It's where our kids come and can get hope, and dream about what life could be."

Meanwhile, Western Bay of Plenty Principals Association president Suzanne Billington said there was concern by the association around the delivery of property projects.

It had been "proactive" in trying to alleviate this issue, with a working group meeting regularly with the Ministry of Education.

"This is very much in its beginning stages - however, it is being seen as a trial by the MOE that allows for current, credible, principal experience to be used with MOE staff to support overcoming these issues and building an improved and more transparent property system."

Ministry of Education head of property Sam Fowler said it was working with the principals association to support the organisation in "delivering effectively for the region's schools".

He said the redevelopment at Kawerau Putauaki School had progressed through a series of projects.

"We've worked closely with stakeholders to determine the best approach for each stage and manage delivery challenges."

He said work on the admin block was expected to begin later this year.

"We'll continue to work with Kawerau Putauaki School to deliver the larger programme of works that is planned at the school."

In the OIA, the Ministry said changes to the completion date could be due to a "range of issues", including the impact of Covid-19 with supply shortages and contractor resourcing issues, or "project-specific delivery complexities".

In some instances, additional or amended stages changed the forecast completion date.

It was unable to provide the budgets broken down by school, saying these amounts were "commercially sensitive" by nature.

It said the 'initial forecast construction end' was the completion date initially anticipated when construction started.