Raroa gets $1.1m for extra rooms

About $1.1 million will be spent building two new classrooms to accommodate an increasing roll at Raroa Normal Intermediate School in Johnsonville.

Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye made the announcement yesterday.

‘‘These new teaching spaces will be modular buildings, which means they meet standards of modern, permanent structures but have the added advantage of being more adaptable,’’ Kaye said.

The rooms are expected to be finished by term 4 this year.

The spending is part of the third round of investments in new classrooms signalled in last year’s Budget when $882.5m was provided for school property nationwide to meet roll growth.

In the first two rounds, $6.1m was provided for 20 additional classrooms in the greater Wellington region, including Wairarapa.

‘‘We’re committed to providing extra capacity for schools that need it. As well as new classrooms ... we’re also investing in redevelopments to modernise schools and address issues such as leaky buildings,’’ Kaye said.

Since November 2015, the government had invested about $117m in redevelopments for schools in the Wellington area, including Aotea College, Wellington East Girls’ College, Thorndon School, Newtown School, Kelburn Normal School, Khandallah School, Ngaio School, Northland School, Churton Park School and Brooklyn School, she said.

Ohariu MP Peter Dunne welcomed the Raroa school announcement.

‘‘The community is growing, school rolls are increasing, and the Government is being responsive to the needs of the community,’’ he said.

‘‘This announcement partners with similar beneficial announcements for our community ... for Khandallah School, Ngaio School and Churton Park School.’’