26/05/2026
A beautiful morning for the opening of the new C-Block.
Summary of Principal Denise Johnson's speech:
The opening of the new C-Block at Te Awakairangi is a profound moment of reclaiming our space, marking the end of an arduous journey that saw staff and students working in a leaking bunker like sieve and years of temporary learning environments, including a portacom village of learning. The new facility is a testament to the grit of the community and the dedication of many who became experts at 'making do'. This C-Block is uniquely a building of Aotearoa New Zealand, inspired by the legend of Ngake, the formidable taniwha, and envisioned as a massive boulder with earthy, rustic colours. The design, led by the cultural expertise of former student Len Hetet and Kura Moeahu, also establishes a formal welcoming entrance and perfectly aligns with the wider urban revitalisation efforts in Lower Hutt, including the opening of Te Ara Tupua and the Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi programme.
The new design provides a creative heart for the kura, clustering specialist spaces for dance, drama, foods, and music at the school's center to ensure that creativity, courage, and performance were not just add-ons. The building supports the school’s relational style of teaching by featuring warm, dry, single-cell rooms with sliding doors for collaboration. It is intentionally designed to be noisy, a hive of activity, and designed for movement, giving staff and students a place where they can truly belong after years of teaching in unsuitable conditions. Thanks to many for helping raise the building, from local officials and contractors to the Ministry of Education property team, and especially the incredibly patient and adaptable school staff and the Property Manager, Simon Kydd, noting that it takes a whole town to raise a building.
