12. Schools Buildings—FundingCHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to the Associate Minister of EducationSchools Buildings—Funding12. CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to the Associate Minister of Education: Does she believe the Government has succeeded in her 2014 aim to get ahead of demand" for new classrooms before serious capacity issues arise; if so why did the Government fail to spend $54 million allocated for new schools and roll growth last year?Hon NIKKI KAYE (Associate Minister of Education): Yes I do believe the Government is succeeding in getting ahead of demand. In Auckland for example we have signed off and funded 17000 student places since 2014 which means that we are running thousands ahead of high-growth projections in the Auckland Plan. Secondly the member does not understand the Budget process. The $54 million transfer was in the context of a $500 million appropriation over 3 years of Budgets. It is not unusual to have a 10 percent difference when you are managing a major capital programme. There are a range of reasons some of which can be very positive in the timing of the draw-down. Sometimes it can be because of procurement savings which is a good thing. Sometimes it can be because schools are asking for additional scope which we give them at a later stage. It would be incorrect for the member to infer that the overall delivery date for these projects is delayed and that we are not investing in growth.Chris Hipkins: Why is Balmoral School still waiting for its upgrade work given she visited the school in 2015 to announce a $24 million upgrade only to announce this week that it will now get $30 million because constant delays to the project have seen costs blow out by over $5 million?Hon NIKKI KAYE: There are a range of reasons why Balmoral School has taken longer. It has chosen at one level to do additional things in terms of its design. The second issue has been growth—and there has been additional growth; that is why we have signed off the additional $5 million. The third issue is that there are weathertightness issues. But as my letter this week said we have given it an additional $5 million.Chris Hipkins: Is it acceptable that while Balmoral School continues to wait for its major upgrade it also continues to wait to use the temporary relocatable classrooms already sitting on its school field in the meantime particularly given that the building consent for the relocatable classrooms was issued by the Auckland Council on 3 February and lapsed because nobody from the Ministry of Education bothered to pick it up?Hon NIKKI KAYE: I would have to look specifically at that issue of consent. I am aware that there was a public meeting the other night. There were a range of things raised some of which—in fact the member Jacinda Ardern attended—I think were incorrect that were said publicly. What I would say is that that school is getting $30 million and part of the reason for the delay has been due to design and the community's wish to take longer in terms of design.Chris Hipkins: What are the significant changes to the design that Balmoral School has put forward and how does it vary from the one it put forward in 2012 upon which the original funding of $24 million was appropriated?Mr SPEAKER: Again there are two supplementary questions. The Minister can address one or the other.Hon NIKKI KAYE: My understanding is that a large part has to do with the additional growth. If you look at what the roll has gone to it has gone over 900 students so the conversation that has been going on—Chris Hipkins: No change to the design.Hon NIKKI KAYE: In fact I can give him the detail. I do not always memorise 2500 schools' property programmes but what I can tell the member is that we signed off 32 new classrooms and have now signed off several additional refurbished classrooms and that is because of growth.Chris Hipkins: How many of the schools that have been allocated funding for upgrades in a recent flurry of announcements will be waiting several years for the work to even start as Balmoral School has been waiting—or does she think that getting photo ops and press releases is more important than actually getting the work done?Hon NIKKI KAYE: In regard to the second question in terms of photo ops yes there are a lot of photo ops happening. That is because we have spent a third more—$1.5 billion more—fixing the last Labour Government's legacy of rotting schools and not investing in growth.Chris Hipkins: Do the figures on the Ministry of Education's Education Counts website—the ones that Hekia Parata says are the only reliable figures—show that the Government has spent $3.549 billion in the last 6 years compared with $3.467 billion in the 6 years prior to that; if so how on earth does she justify her claim that it is spending so much more money?Hon NIKKI KAYE: If you had listened to all the statements that I have made they are over an 8-year period. We have spent $1.5 billion more than the last Government over that period.Chris Hipkins: Was Christchurch Boys' High School principal Nic Hill wrong when he said: "The everyday reality is most schools don't have enough property. It's not just the rebuild it's resourcing." and was North Shore Principals Association chair Craig Holt also wrong when he said: "It seems to be we chase our tail in terms of planning for roll growth."?Hon NIKKI KAYE: Obviously I do not agree with those statements generally because overall property funding has increased by a third. But can I just mention Christchurch Boys' High School because the facts are that it is getting $33 million. The facts are as well that 50 percent of its students are out of zone."