Excitement as Oxford school rebuild begins four years after funding announcement
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Work is finally under way on Oxford Area School’s rebuild, more than four years after funding was first announced.
Excitement is building now the board of trustees has approved the detailed design of a new administration, library and science block and a new arts, drama and music block for the North Canterbury school.
As fences went up late last month, principal Mike Hart and the senior leadership team were busy moving out of the old administration building, ahead of planned demolition.
“The students are getting really excited. They’ve seen the 3-D renders of the new build and they’re saying ‘it looks really flash and modern’."
The site is set to be cleared by the end of January, before the new build begins.
Hart anticipated a 2024 opening for the new block.
While the $10 million funding announcement in September 2018 caught Hart completely by surprise, he admitted it had been a slow process to get to the building phase.
“It has ended up being more [than $10m] because of the increase in costs.
“It is funded through the ministry and at this point there is no additional funds required from the school.”
The T-shaped building will house offices, a library and community space, and specialist science, food technology and hospitality teaching spaces.
The school will continue with its space theme, in naming the new building Te Waka O Tamarēreti, which encapsulated significant constellations in the night sky including Orion and the Southern Cross.
“We already have the Orion constellation named in our school so we want to see how can get all of those constellations included in our new building,” Hart said.
The reception area will have LED lighting in the ceiling to represent constellations, while the walls will feature a purapura whetu (stars) pattern.
The middle school (years 4 to 8), which opened in 2017, was named Aotahi (Orion), with the different learning hubs named for the different stars.
Once the new block is complete, attention will turn to demolishing the old science block and building a new arts, music and drama block.
A courtyard will be left between the Te Waka O Tamarēreti block and the school’s observatory, which will make the observatory more of a central focus for the school.
“When we have open days we need to take groups over to the observatory, because they can’t see it, so this will make it more visible,” Hart said.
“It is still a strong and significant building within our school and it aligns really strongly with our connection to the night sky.”
The school has received professional development funding from the Ministry of Education and planned to engage Wellington science educators Haritina Mogosanu and Sam Leske next year to help integrate astronomy more into the curriculum, in a joint initiative with View Hill School.
The pair visited the school in September 2018, the same week the $10 million funding was announced, to offer a learning programme for Mars Week with Nasa scientists.
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I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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47.9% Yes
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50.2% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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