Te Rohutu Whio
Category
Location
Rolleston, New Zealand
CV
$18M
Client
Southbase Construction
Minsitry of Education
Team
Nikki Thebault
Pippa Herrod
This bi-lingual school has been designed to include space provision for reorua bilingual hub and demonstrates is strong cultural aspirations within its four new school buildings.
The library and hall are particularly seen as cultural hubs for the school, where the school directly engages with the local community. Teaching is undertaken in powers of 3 with a strong focus on connection to outdoors. The covered outdoor teaching areas, linked to the landscape with natural local materials, tell the story of the school’s cultural narrative and demonstrate use of purposeful outdoor spaces. The development also includes a purpose-built technology block, catering for year 7&8 students that visit from across the Rolleston area – these students are considered part of the school’s wider whānau.
The school has a clear objective to teach the stories of the Tauwharekākaho | Rolleston area so that tamariki have a strong connection to the land they stand on and this is woven into the design of the school. In consultation with the local rununga the school was gifted the whakataukī
Aroha is intrinsically linked to the schools’ bicultural values;
Aroha ki te tangata, aroha ki te whenua, aroha ki te reo. Love to the people, love to the land, love to the language
