27/01/2025
Michel e Cushnie
[FYI request #29471 email]
Tēnā koe Michel e
OIA: 1341149 – Negotiations for a new high school in Northwest Auckland
Thank you for your email of 6 December 2024 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) requesting
the fol owing information:
What does MOE consider a "reasonable time frame" for the negotiations for the proposed
new Highschool for NorthWest Auckland? *This wil have been in negotiations for 2 years
by February 2025.
Travel to Massey is getting harder for students from many areas within its huge catchment.
This is taking a tol on local families. The community would real y like some more
reassurance that everything possible is being done to get our Highschool built in the
NorthWest in a timely manner.
Could you please also advise of what the next steps with negotiations are (including dates)
so the Northwest community has a bit more transparency as to what is going on, and so we
can feel some progress might be made.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
The Ministry first indicated the potential requirement for a new state secondary school in the
Kumeū/Huapai catchment in 2020. Ongoing increases in local school-age population, driven by
significant residential development continues to support this requirement with updated National
Education Growth Plan forecasts showing that a secondary school wil be required in 2029. Subject
to funding, the Ministry of Education is continuing to work towards this date. While the Ministry has
identified a potential location for a school, we have not yet acquired the land necessary for its
development.
The Ministry initiated negotiations for a Kumeū site in February 2023. There are two sites that
comprise the potential secondary school site. I can confirm that negotiations have been ongoing
with one landowner for some time, but have not yet reached a conclusion. This is due to a large
variance in valuation advice, which has resulted in delays to the negotiation process. Negotiations
with the second landowner are subject to the progress of negotiations on the first site and have not
yet commenced. General y, land acquisition and designation can take between 18 months to three
years, depending on the complexities involved.
Auckland Office, Level 3, 12-18 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, Auckland 1024
Private Bag 92644, Symonds Street, Auckland 1149 Phone: +64 9 632 9400
Information about the location of the potential secondary school site is not publicly disclosed, to
protect the interests of the landowners. Any further details relating to these negotiations are
withheld under section 9(2)(j) of the Act, to enable the Ministry to carry on, without prejudice or
disadvantage, negotiations.
As required under section 9(1) of the Act, I have considered the public interest in releasing the
information withheld. I do not consider that the public interest considerations favouring the release
of this information are sufficient to outweigh the need to withhold it at this time.
In paral el with the acquisition process, the Ministry wil continue to monitor school-age population
growth in the Kumeū/Huapai catchment and other development triggers, as this may affect the
timing of the Ministry’s response.
Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review my decision
on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wel ington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
Sam Fowler
Head of Property
Te Pou Hanganga, Matihiko | Infrastructure and Digital
OIA: 1341149
