Te Anau School's Long Term Development Plan is progressing steadily. Now in the 3rd year of the 20-year plan, stage 1 and 2 are completed and the school is fundraising for stage 3 of the plan – the building of a new $1.6 million hall.

Principal Grant Excell says the big issue is the school roll. The current hall is simply too small to fit all students. In 2018 the school finished with 265 students. This year the number went up to 295.

“Since lockdown we’ve lost 14 students and gained 13, so Covid hasn’t significantly affected our roll. And there are strong numbers for enrolment next year,” Mr Excell said.

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This growth means students and staff are continually running out of space. The temporary solution of using the school library as a classroom has already been in place for two years. Meanwhile the library books are stored at the school hall.

“So we are still in major need of new classrooms,” Mr Excell said.

The steady growth prompted the school board of trustees to come up with a plan in 2017, outlining changes that span 20 years and address the shortage of space due to burgeoning student numbers. 

Last year Stage 1, the Playing Field Project was completed. That saw the main running track moved north to make space for the new buildings.

Stage 2, creating more parking spaces, was accomplished by selling the school house and using that money to convert the land the house was on into a carpark. 

“Currently we are fundraising for the new hall and hope to complete it by the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023. We have to rely on funding from the Ministry of Education (MoE), which will not be available till mid-2022,” Mr Excell said.

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The Ministry of Education is expected to pay half the $1.6 million cost of the new hall, with the school fundraising for the balance. 

The school now has $212,000 in the bank, after a novelty horse racing event at the Fiordland Events Centre last Saturday (7 November), added $5000 to the kitty.

The event featured little wooden toys pulled by race participants along the stadium floor and to make it a little more challenging the participants sat facing away from their horses, so they couldn’t see how they were doing. Earlier this year, a lamb drive fundraiser earned $11,000 for the hall.

But the changes don't stop there.

Next year Te Anau School will engage in another MoE-funded infrastructure improvements project, that will include converting the coal boiler to wood chips, expanding the administration building, enlarging and sealing the new carpark, new toilets and an electrical and water pipe upgrade.

Eventually, it is planned to move the admin block off its existing location on the main highway, to Bligh Street, opposite Mitre 10.

Two more classrooms along Bligh Street are also planned. 

 “Although during lockdown we were worried about the school, the students’ and the community resilience has shown, and we’re again confident moving forward, knowing that we live in the best place in the world,” Mr Excell said.