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1487 days ago

Opawa school's redevelopment delayed after construction firm went bust

Jake Kenny Reporter from Community News

Rebuild work at a Christchurch school – which was already behind schedule – was further delayed when the construction firm went bust, owing more than $5 million.

Christchurch-based Corbel Construction went into liquidation in December 2018, owing $4.5m to unsecured creditors, $266,000 to BNZ and $960,000 to a private trust.

The company was part way through the first stage of Opawa School’s post-quake redevelopment at the time.

The project – which included new teaching spaces and an administration area – was originally scheduled for completion by September 2017, but did not finish until June 2020, at a cost of $4.5m.

Corbel Construction was founded in 2000 and employed about 80 full-time staff.

It secured several Ministry of Education contracts as part of the Christchurch Schools Rebuild Programme, including $5m for Shirley Primary School’s refurbishment and $2.2m for the construction of a classroom block at Tai Tapu School.

It was also chosen to deliver the $16m upgrade for North Canterbury schools, expanding or improving facilities at Oxford Area, Rangiora Borough, Ashgrove and Southbrook schools.

Head of education infrastructure service Kim Shannon said the ministry was made aware of the firm’s liquidation at the time, and Opawa School was kept “fully informed”.

“The project was delayed by about five months while a replacement contractor, Contract Construction, was appointed,” she said.

Sally Ormandy, principal ​of Opawa School, said they were continuing to work with the ministry to complete their remaining building work.

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More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Worst Xmas ever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.

Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...

Share your Christmas mishaps below!

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13 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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5 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.8% Summer
    61.8% Complete
  • 36.5% Winter
    36.5% Complete
  • 1.6% Other - I'll share below
    1.6% Complete
1338 votes