Media Release

21 October 2008

Wellington Girls’ College Gets Funding Boost

Wellington Girls’ College is one of 31 schools nationwide to receive funding for new school buildings courtesy of a $14 million investment announced by Education Minister Chris Carter last Friday.

Wellington Central Labour Candidate Grant Robertson welcomed the funding and said the grant will directly benefit the Wellington Central community.

"I’m delighted that a school in the Wellington Central electorate – Wellington Girls’ College - will receive $1.3 million to invest in their school,” said Grant Robertson.

“Wellington Girls’ College intends to use this funding towards building a new tower block at the school to replace the 12 prefabs they have on site at the moment, and I think that’s a wise investment in their future," said Grant.

"Education is the key to our economic success in terms of creating people who will drive forward innovation and that means we need to ensure that teachers and schools have the mandate, resources and technology to bring it to life. Funding like this is one part of Labour’s initiatives to ensure this,”

The School Property Deficiencies Guide Programme is an annual discretionary fund aimed at addressing high priority deficiencies in state school buildings.

Funding is provided to schools to address lack of space in buildings, as measured by the school property guide.

So far the Labour-led government has committed $3.3 billion to property investment in New Zealand schools since 1999.

The school property guide programme has been operating since 2000 and has provided funding for approximately 500 schools.

Since 1999 the Labour-led government has invested over $400 million building 24 new schools and 22 Kura Kaupapa schools and $470 million building 1,500 new classrooms in existing schools.

ENDS

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