108 | Second campus to open next year More than $50m was granted last year for first-stage development to provide a 24-classroom science and technology block. Rolleston College: Southbase T T Kim Newth “Southbase is great to deal with and their team is currently ahead of programme.” COMMUNITY Selwyn District is the fastest-growing district in New Zealand, and with that growth flowing through to burgeoning school rolls, Rolleston College ran out of space, so stage 1 of a second campus is now under construction to accommodate their senior students. When the college opened in 2017, it had a roll of just 219 students. Less than 10 years later, it’s approaching 1900 students – and facing further rapid growth ahead. By 2030, the student roll is projected to reach 3000. Recognising the need to provide for the growing number of secondary students in the area, the Government bought the second campus site – 2km from Rolleston College – in 2021. More than $50m was granted last year for first-stage development to provide a 24-classroom science and technology block, a single-court gymnasium with PE staff office, two sports fields, car parking and landscaping. Southbase Construction is leading the build on-site. “Southbase is great to deal with and their team is currently ahead of programme,” says principal Rachel Skelton. “The plans for temporary provision before construction of stage 2 are also on track, so we’re all go to open at the start of 2026. Our main concern is that no funding has yet been allocated to build stages 2 and 3. “Planned for these next two stages are a whare, theatre facilities, administration, arts and English, library and learning support. Having specialist spaces, rather than portacoms and prefabs, is so important going forward. We’ll be waiting with bated breath to see what comes out of budget decisions over the next couple of months.” In the meantime, six prefab classrooms have already been moved to the second campus. Another eight or nine are also due to be moved from Rolleston College to the new site in coming months. Custom portacom buildings will house interim administration and library facilities, as well as provide some general classroom space. “A large extension of our current site, now completed, means we no longer need the prefabs here, so we’re happy for them to be moved across. “Southbase have the contract for managing the logistics of these temporary arrangements and we’re taking care with timing so it fits with when our senior students go on exam leave,” Rachel says. In 2026, the second campus will have capacity for 700-800 senior students (Years 12 and 13). Rachel says having a separate senior campus will relieve a lot of pressure on their current campus and open up more green space too, once the prefabs are moved. Each campus will have its own associate principal. “We’ve been working towards how it will all work over the past three years. We see this as a real opportunity to focus on what works best for senior and junior students and their respective ages and stages. The second campus is only seven minutes’ drive from Lincoln University, so we’re keen to explore opportunities there as well.” At the same time as the second campus is being built for Rolleston, another new primary school, Te Rau Horopito, is also under construction and due to open in 2026, once again highlighting the fast growth of this popular satellite town, south of Christchurch. BCP BARTLETT CONCRETE CEMENTING OUR PLACE IN CANTERBURY Residential / commercial foundations & floors Excavations & siteworks Concrete pumping & placing Decorative concrete, driveways & landscaping 03 359 4962 quotes@bcpltd.co.nz www.bartlettconcrete.co.nz Operated by our skilled and knowledgeable sta , we have a comprehensive range of modern plant and equipment to fulfill all your needs. Residential Subdivisions Commercial Developments Drainage Demolition Residential Site & Foundation Preparation Driveways & Landscaping Rock Walls P 0800 773 2002 E admin@pse.co.nz W www.pse.co.nz
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