Why we are standardising school buildings#

Standardisation will help reduce time and costs to deliver safe, warm and dry teaching spaces.

We want all schools to be great places to learn, no matter where they are. That means making sure all students get the same chance to learn in a good, well-looked-after classroom.

Standardising our approach to school property delivery will:

• improve efficiency, consistency and scalability
• reduce design and construction costs
• support faster project delivery timelines
• deliver improved, fit-for-purpose designs
• allow for integration of sustainable practices and materials.

We are focusing on school buildings manufactured offsite.

Offsite-manufactured solutions help:

• get classrooms built faster
• create less disruption to school life compared to traditional builds
• save money on repairs
• make it easier to change things if schools need something different later on.

What standardisation means#

Standard buildings#

Standard buildings are simple to build and maintain. They are versatile and scalable. They can be used for different educational purposes, including primary, secondary, learning support and Māori medium.

The standard buildings we’re developing are:

• small transportable buildings
• teaching and administration buildings:
  • single storey
  • 2-storey
  • double-depth
• multi-purpose facilities:
  • 1- and 2-court gyms
  • small, medium and large halls.

Standard layouts#

The layouts are designed to:

• suit different teaching and learning practices
• align with schools’ preferred approaches, from traditional to innovative setups
• lead to positive outcomes for learners.

We want to make sure these plans are evidence-based to:

• support effective learning environments
• connect physical design to learner success.

Standard materials and systems#

We are making a list of pre-approved building systems and materials for all school property projects. This will:

• reduce variation
• improve procurement efficiency
• drive quality, and performance outcomes.

We will set up commercial opportunities to work with suppliers to deliver affordable, quality solutions that are easy to maintain.

Timeline#

Standard solutions will be developed, tested and rolled out over the next 12 months. The goal is for the suite of products to be available for the 2026–2027 delivery year.