124 | COMMUNITY Kings College: Aspec Construction - Toi Manawa T T Kim Newth Performing arts centre raises the bar For more than 125 years, King’s College has sought to provide its students with the best all-round education, and now in 2024, King’s has stepped up another level with the opening of Toi Manawa – a new, purpose-built performing arts centre. This independent secondary school in Auckland has forged a prominent place in the education sector by consistently promoting excellence across the board in education, as well as in sport, the arts and culture. T T to page126 Toi Manawa - the school’s exciting new facility, which replaces an outdated 1960s’-era building -has been designed to support and grow teaching and learning in drama, music, dance and related disciplines, including sound, lighting, set design and musical theatre, with particular focus on innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. Emma Featherstone, King’s head of performing arts and culture, is thrilled at the opportunities ahead to further build the school’s already strong track record in performing arts. Currently, King’s College has a 70-strong orchestra, a 70-member premium concert band, a junior concert band of 40 students, a junior big band of 18-20 students, four choirs, three dance troupes and a growing contingent of drama students. “We recently won five national titles in Tauranga at the National Jazz Competition, including best band in the country,” says Emma. “That’s a huge result for the college. Our people here are awesome and now we also have the right state-of-the-art facilities for them. “It really enhances our options around how we teach, educate and learn and enables us to acknowledge students with an interest in performance arts and support them at a very high level.” A key benefactor for this project was old collegian Michael Flanagan, who generously gifted $8 million to get the centre started. Through the years, he has also donated a number of musical instruments and provided scholarships for students learning the organ to uphold this important aspect of college life. Emma says many in the college community followed Michael’s lead and swung in behind the new centre, giving generously for theatre seats, room fit-outs and other items. NZ 09 580 4036 027 253 7040 patrick@sunbuild.co.nz Joint Sealants & Waterproofing Cementitious & Epoxy Grouting Passive Fire Stopping Concrete Repair Fire Rating to Structural Steel
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