Our responsibilities#

Our portfolio is composed of over 2,100 primary and secondary state schools and over 8,000 hectares of land with a carrying value of $33.5 billion. 

Our team is responsible for the portfolio, including school engagement, asset management, capital works delivery, investment planning and portfolio management.

We have a responsibility to invest in property solutions that demonstrate value for money while still delivering the right outcome for our schools and kura. Demand for new or improved school property across the country is high, and the way we meet these needs is to do so more efficiently. 

We have set financial and timeliness targets for our programme, and we’re looking to improve our planning and delivery, as well as working proactively and collaboratively with schools and the construction sector. This means our property projects deliver value and are part of an affordable and deliverable programme of works.

New entity or model for school property#

In 2024, we were asked by Cabinet to report back on a new entity or model for school property and options for separating operational delivery from policy. The Ministry’s School Property and Policy teams, alongside Treasury and others, have been developing advice for Cabinet. A final decision is likely to be towards the middle of 2025.

School property improvements#

Education Minister Erica Stanford has been clear that her priorities for school property are warm, safe, dry learning environments, that can be delivered quickly and cost-effectively, with a stronger focus on maintenance.

In response, we have established an extensive work programme that will:

• improve our performance and better position us to meet the Minister’s priorities
• respond to the recommendations in the inquiry
• respond more quickly and effectively to the needs of our schools and kura.

Standard buildings and repeatable designs#

We are focusing on standard or repeatable value-for-money buildings, that can be delivered on time and on budget.

Standard buildings are designed to predefined specifications and requirements with minimal or no flexibility for changes. As well as standardising our buildings, we are standardising interior layouts and materials, in consultation with educators and the construction sector.

The goal of standardisation is to make sure:

• new teaching spaces are delivered faster​
• they are equitable ​ and have consistent quality
• they are fit for purpose ​
• achieve value for money.

Repeatable designs are flexible designs that can be adapted and reused across multiple school property projects with minor modifications. We will be relying on repeatable designs where suitable until our suite of standard building typologies is available.

Jerome Sheppard, Acting Chief Executive for School Property#

At the beginning of 2025, Jerome Sheppard stepped into the role of acting Chief Executive for School Property. He reports directly to the Minister of Education.

Jerome has previous experiences in public sector infrastructure, including senior property leadership roles across several key agencies such as the Education Infrastructure Service team at the Ministry of Education, Land Information New Zealand and most recently the property team at the Ministry of Justice.

By working across a diverse range of land and infrastructure agencies, he’s developed a broad and practical understanding of how to deliver complex property initiatives that serve communities. Jerome is focused on results and supporting Ministry people to achieve the key goals of making school property warm, safe, dry and accessible for all learners.