West Coast school phases out coal

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:

South Westland Area School at Harihari is a hive of activity and it is not just the usual daily comings and goings of children.

Builders and tradespeople have occupied the school over the past couple of months, transforming the way it is heated, as part of the Government's programme to phase out coal-fired boilers in schools.

At the same time, the school is taking on a more cohesive appearance with a rebuild of covered paths and the addition of an all-weather outdoor lunch space.

Principal Nick Glancy said the zero carbon emissions initiative, costing at least $1.5million, was ''a massive project'' for the school.

The project was directly managed and funded through the Ministry of Education to phase out the traditional coal-fire boiler-radiator system and to bring heat pump technology to every learning area. That had necessitated an electrical upgrade across the site.

''They've had to upgrade all the electrical throughout the school, so the whole place has been dug up to put the power cables underground. That's due to be completed in early April.''

The school pool will also benefit from the heat pump-based system, Glancy said.

Work also started in mid-December on replacing covered areas between various buildings.

Glancy said that work was a part of a long-term maintenance plan developed for the school.

This followed the recent rebuild, which was the result of a significant fire at the site, and the ongoing work was part of a project to weatherproof and re-clad the school.

Central to this and linked to the healthy school lunch scheme was the new outdoor lunch area, which was nearly completed, he said.

Once finished, the all-weather canopy area would be complemented by tables and chairs, which would present a new opportunity for the school to promote positive social connection as a learning experience.

Glancy said the opportunity for pupils to sit at a table and interact with their peers and staff could not be underestimated, particularly as some young people did not necessarily always have the opportunity of sitting down at a table for meal time at home.

''It's just created a really good opportunity ... this one is pretty exciting.''
Currently, the area school roll sat at a ''very healthy'' 115, with the secondary roll for year 9 to 13 pupils, at 65.

The school continued to draw secondary-age pupils from Ross, 45 minutes drive away, down to Whataroa and the glaciers.