Kelston Boys' High School

Kia ora koutou, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Kia orana, Ni sa bula vinaka, Fakatalofa atu, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Malo ni, Noaˈia ˈe mạuri gagaj ˈatakoa, Mabuhay, Namaste, Anyeoung haseyo, As-Salaam-Alaikum, Konnichiwa, Ni hao.

It has been a long while since there has been any information shared with regards to the Kelston Visioning Project. St Leonards Road School, Kelston Intermediate, Kelston Girls’ College, Kelston Boys’ High School and Ko Taku Reo have been working on the project for close to 6 years, engaging in lengthy discussions and seeking feedback from the community through a series of consultation rounds. The last communication we shared with the community was to provide feedback on the consultation on the co-location idea of both Kelston Boys’ High School and Kelston Girls’ College. There was subsequent action from the Ministry of Education where a funding application to the government was made for the project to be scoped. The long wait for a decision then ensued.

The current government has subsequently undertaken a review of all school property projects and due to financial constraints, have had to remove some projects from their consideration. The Kelston Visioning Project is one such project that will not be progressing. A letter from the Ministry of Education was received by both high schools in July to inform us of the decision. The delay in releasing this letter is due to both schools trying to secure a more definite commitment from the Ministry in ensuring current school property at both schools will be prioritised for upgrading. There have been no advancements on this front.

Below is the letter from the Ministry of Education to Kelston Boys’ High School, outlining the decision. A similar letter was sent to Kelston Girls’ College.

It is extremely disappointing to officially inform the community that the Ministry of Education no longer considers the Kelston Visioning Project one that they would like to pursue and as such, the project is now cancelled.

All schools in the project are committed to ensuring that we continue to strive to improve our school property as best as we can and sustain working together as a collective. The gains we have made in working collaboratively and supporting each other have been the positive outcomes achieved.

On behalf of the Board and Principals of St Leonards Road School, Kelston Intermediate, Kelston Girls’ College, Kelston Boys’ High School and Ko Taku Reo, we would like to thank staff, students, whānau and community members who have been involved over the years and who have participated in driving the project forward. Although the project is no longer progressing, your input over the years will continue to provide us with the impetus to strive for the best for our tamariki, rangatahi and the Kelston community.

Ngā mihi nui,

Adeline Blair

Principal