New Kahika building stands tall at Hurunui school

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

From local democracy reporter David Hill:

Indigenous trees and birds feature permanently in a new look North Canterbury school.

Pupils at Leithfield School, south of Amberley, can’t wait to move into the new $2.5 million Kahika building in term two.

‘‘They’re very excited. You should have seen them pressing their faces against the glass when the fences came down,’’ principal Rob Cavanagh said.

Kahika, short for the native kahikatea tree, has been chosen as part of a cultural narrative from Te Rūnanga o Tūāhuriri.

Buildings at the school were named after trees and classes after birds.
‘‘As the kahikatea stands proud in our native forests, this will stand proud in our community,’’ Cavanagh said.

The new building provided space for up to 100 pupils, with four teaching spaces, break out rooms, a communal area, multi-purpose wet room and a balcony overlooking the school gardens.

‘‘It is fantastic. We will be able to grow into this space, so we will be well future proofed,’’ Cavanagh said.

‘‘It is just a wonderful resource.’’

He said it had been a long process, with one class utilising the school hall as a classroom for the last year and a term.

‘‘The hall is a great space for PE, assemblies and performing, but it is not so good for learning.’’

The communal space was big enough to hold full school assemblies, he said.

The school was experiencing steady growth with five teachers and was expected to pass 120 pupils by the end of this year.

The other classrooms were in the process of being refurbished to set the school up for the future.

Former principal Sharon Marsh returned to the school last week to see the completed project first hand.

‘‘I saw the plans and I came a couple of times when it was being built, but I saved coming inside until now," she said.

‘‘We put in so much time talking to principals and teachers to see what works and what doesn't work and gathering all that information,
so it is exciting to see it finally completed.’’