After a decade of strong, sustained growth in Queenstown, Wakatipu High School will receive 12 new classrooms to ease mounting pressure on capacity. Construction is due to begin in the first half of 2027, with the new classrooms expected to open by mid-2028.

The Government's investement in new classrooms at WHS to address the rapidly growing demand in Queenstown for secondary education, Education Minister Erica Stanford and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop say.

The New Zealand School Property Agency will deliver a new two-storey building with four specialist spaces for food technology and arts alongside four general teaching spaces, and a separate building with four hard technology and automotive engineering classrooms. 

“This is about making sure teachers have the classrooms they need and students have access to high-quality learning spaces. When we get the basics right, schools can focus on teaching and families can have confidence their local school will continue to meet the needs of a growing community,” Ms Stanford says.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says funding has also been set aside to purchase a site for a future new high school in Queenstown.

“School communities can be confident that we are planning for growth and investing in areas where demand is increasing."