46 | COMMUNITY Otaki College T T Kim Bowden The gym houses one of the Wellington region’s best indoor climbing walls, which is used extensively in the college’s thriving outdoor education programme. Scaffolding is wrapped around most of the buildings at Ōtaki College where a yearlong construction project is underway to deal to weathertightness issues that have plagued the school in recent years. Since January, contractors have been onsite, and they are expected to remain for much of the school year. The crew are working closely with management to ensure it is business as usual for the school’s 460-odd pupils. Ōtaki College takes pupils from year seven right through to year 13, playing an important role in the regional settlement located in the Kapiti Coast District, just under an hour’s drive north of Wellington. “Ōtaki has that typical small-town New Zealand feel to it,” Ōtaki College business manager Cindy Hall says. She describes this year’s construction work as “unglamourous” but essential. “We’re not getting anything new, as such,” she says, “The project is addressing most of the school roofs and weathertightness. Some of it is a response to building age, and some of it, design issues.” The work falls within the school’s 10-year plan, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, which is overseeing the project. Local building firm Maycroft Construction is on the tools delivering the work. Buildings that are not fit for purpose or uncomfortable distract from the school’s core functions, and it is good news the project is ticking off a bulk of required maintenance jobs. “No one wants to sit in a room that has a leak or clean up equipment after water has pooled in a storeroom, spending extra time and effort worrying about your environment rather than doing the job that you’re meant do be doing,” Cindy says. On the agenda is the refurbishment of the school’s gymnasium, a facility well used by the school and wider community for sporting events and training. “It is a community place. There is taek wondo, and basketball, and volleyball, and things like that. You want there to be no issues when they come along,” Cindy says. The district council recognises the building as a community facility, and ratepayers have chipped in for upgrades over the years. Renovations unglamourous but essential For use, outside groups only pay a ‘koha’, which keeps sports costs down for whānau, encouraging wider participation. The gym houses one of the Wellington region’s best indoor climbing walls, which is used extensively in the college’s thriving outdoor education programme. This year, the school has also opened a specialised te reo Māori unit to further support Māori students, who make up 55 percent of the school role. “The unit is a real point of difference for us,” Cindy says. Named Te Wharekura o Te Kāreti o Ōtaki, the unit caters to year nine and 10 pupils, and it will extend to year 11 next year. School principal Andy Fraser says there are five kōhanga reo in the town, plus the college’s main feeder primary school has its own immersion unit. Now young te reo Māori learners at the college will be able to continue their journey in a similar setting. Andy says Ōtaki has a special history – one that the school seeks to honour. “Over 33 percent of Māori households in “Over 33 percent of Māori households in Ōtaki speak fluent te reo Māori.” WWW.MAYCROFT.CO.NZ BUILDING TRUST THROUGH GREAT BUILDINGS, GREAT PEOPLE & GREAT RELATIONSHIPS. Ōtaki speak fluent te reo Māori, making it one of New Zealand’s highest reo speaking communities in the country. “The town is the second oldest in New Zealand. It is famous as being the home of the famous warrior chief Te Rauparaha, who in his later years united his people to build the famous Rangiātea Church.”
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