Around $9 million will be invested in the redevelopment of Edgecumbe College in the Bay of Plenty.

'This project will involve demolishing and rebuilding three existing classroom blocks and an administration building,” says Education Minister Hekia Parata.

'Another three blocks will be repaired or have remediation work carried out to address weather tightness issues.”

Many of the existing buildings at the college are old or leaky, so this is about creating a 21stCentury learning environment, says Hekia.

'The redevelopment will see flexible learning spaces built, which enable teachers and students to work collaboratively or independently, depending on students' learning needs.”

Edgecumbe College belongs to the Rangitaiki Plains Community of Learning (CoL).

'Communities of Learning are about schools working together to help students achieve their full potential. One way Edgecumbe College contributes to its CoL is by sharing its technology spaces with nearby schools, so other local students will also benefit from this redevelopment.

'The Government is committed to heartland communities throughout New Zealand.

'We want students to be motivated and invested in their learning, and having the right infrastructure and learning environments in place is an important part of achieving this.”

Construction at Edgecumbe College is expected to begin in 2018.