On Tuesday 11 August, Rakipaoa, our newest teaching block, was officially opened by former Presiding Member of our School Board, Chris Dann.
Rakipaoa is our new 14 classroom teaching block and is the new home of our Social Science and English teams. This new teaching block is the replacement for our former I and J Blocks – 24 classrooms in total – that were found to be earthquake prone in 2024 and were subsequently demolished.
Chris Dann was the Presiding Member or Chair of our School Board during this period and was instrumental in making Rakipaoa come to life. Chris spent countless hours negotiating with the Ministry of Education over the the quality of both I & J Blocks, their subsequent demolition and ensuring that Rakipaoa meets the needs of our students and staff. To this end, our School Board has also funded four classrooms in Rakipaoa to supplement the ten that the Ministry of Education has constructed.
Alongside Rakipaoa, our Board also commissioned new artificial turf and walkways to enable better pedestrian access into our school from Memorial Avenue. We see this area as another gathering space, similar to our quad area, so ball sports won’t be permissible but rather it will become a space to gather and meet with friends during school break periods.
Being a School Board member, which is a voluntary role with high demands, can at times be a thankless task. Dedicating Rakipaoa to the service of Chris Dann was our way of thanking him for six years of service to our school community. His leadership during a tumultuous time with our school estate, has been exemplary, and we thank him immensely for all his time, energy and effort on behalf our current and future students and staff.
