New Rolleston College opens doors

By Education Gazette editors

Issue: Volume 96, Number 2

Posted: 13 February 2017

Reference #: 1H9d64

Students, parents, school staff and special guests gathered at Rolleston College, near Christchurch, recently to mark the opening of the new school.

Education Minister Hekia Parata officially opened Rolleston College, which has been built to cater for population growth in the Rolleston area.

The new school is located on a six hectare site and facilities include a range of flexible learning spaces, a 500 seat theatre, multipurpose gym, an automotive workshop and dance and music studios.

Principal Stephen Saville says he is very excited about the potential that the new school has.

“There will be a huge number of learning experiences available to students,” he says. “We will be planning the curriculum so it has as many pathways as possible for our students."

“The buildings have been designed to fit the needs of the learners rather than the other way around.”

Waitaha School, which caters for students with high and complex needs, has a satellite unit at Rolleston College.

Te Taumutu rūnanga gifted the school name Horoeka Haemata (‘the flourishing lancewood’) to the board of Rolleston College. Lancewoods are unique trees that change dramatically as they mature – a symbolic idea that has been incorporated into the school vision.

Rolleston College, along with three other schools, has been built as part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP). The new school caters for year 9 to 13 students and will open with a roll of more than 200 year 9 students, with 1040 students by 2021.