Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Demolition hangs over Whanganui Girls College block

By Anne-Marie McDonald
Reporter·Whanganui Chronicle·
7 Nov, 2017 11:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Assistant principal Prabh Mokha, principal Tania King and deputy principal Nita Pond with a concept draft of Whanganui Girls' College's new wharenui. Photo / Stuart Munro

Assistant principal Prabh Mokha, principal Tania King and deputy principal Nita Pond with a concept draft of Whanganui Girls' College's new wharenui. Photo / Stuart Munro

A two-storey classroom block at Whanganui Girls' College is to be demolished and replaced by a wharenui.

Ministry of Education's head of education infrastructure service, Kim Shannon, confirmed that plans were under way to demolish the two-storey classroom block in the Christmas break.

"We work with schools to help them manage property they don't need anymore to avoid unnecessary maintenance costs for them," Ms Shannon said.

Read more: Kai Iwi School goes country for pet day
Wanganui Girls College old girls celebrate school leavers

"Whanganui Girls' College has a high number of surplus buildings. The college has grown in recent years and we will continue to monitor its growth to determine whether further surplus property is likely to be needed in the future."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

However, Whanganui Girls' College principal Tania King said the ministry had not confirmed with her that the building would be demolished in December. She thought that was unlikely to happen, since the work had not yet been put out for tender.

"So we're looking at six weeks before this demolition is due to start. I think it's more likely that it will start at the beginning of the school year next year," Ms King said.

She said A block, which contains 10 classrooms, hasn't been used for the past two years.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It dates from the 1950s, when the roll was at its peak of 1200. Currently the school roll is at 360, and growing.

Assistant principal Prabh Mokha said the idea for a new wharenui came from a parent focus group.

"We have a whare at the back of the school, and it's really just a tin shed. We use it for kapa haka practice.

"We've had it in our heads that we wanted a wharenui that was more front and centre, but we never had the space for it."

Mr Mokha said the wharenui would be nearly 100sq m, and would be used for cultural events such as pōwhiri, functions, performing arts and teaching. It would have a kitchen and a bathroom.

The plans have been drawn up by architects BSM, in consultation with local kaumatua John Maihi.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Grant helps school provide rugby player shelters

Whanganui Chronicle

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running

Whanganui Chronicle

Police arrest 19 Hells Angels members, 72 charges laid


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Grant helps school provide rugby player shelters
Whanganui Chronicle

Grant helps school provide rugby player shelters

Collegiate has two new rugby bunkers, with NZCT providing $12,000 of the $18,500 cost.

15 Jul 05:00 PM
Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running
Whanganui Chronicle

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running

15 Jul 05:00 PM
Police arrest 19 Hells Angels members, 72 charges laid
Whanganui Chronicle

Police arrest 19 Hells Angels members, 72 charges laid

15 Jul 03:26 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP