Te Raekura Redcliffs School reopened in June 2020, nearly nine years after the Christchurch earthquakes forced pupils and staff to relocate to a temporary site.
The new campus sits on an elevated site overlooking the Avon–Heathcote Estuary and the Pacific Ocean, designed to provide a safe, modern learning environment that reflects both its setting and the community’s identity.
The school accommodates a roll of up to 300 students, with provision for future expansion to 400. Facilities include 13 teaching spaces, a library, administration areas, a multipurpose hall, and extensive outdoor play areas. The design features pink precast panels that reference the cliffs of Redcliffs, along with engineered timber and structural steel systems providing seismic resilience. Structural features also offer protection against tidal influences whilst offering outdoor learning space.
The site carried strong cultural and historical significance as one of the earliest Māori settlements in the South Island. Archaeological investigations were undertaken during excavation, uncovering artefacts that were carefully managed and documented as part of the project.
The school combines sustainability, resilience, and community identity. Its delivery was recognised nationally, with New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attending the school’s opening ceremony. The project received multiple awards, including:
- 2022 NZIA Branch Award
- 2021 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards Commercial Project Over $15 Million Value Award Winner
- 2021 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards Construction Marketing Services Education Project Supreme Award Winner
- 2021 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards Construction Marketing Services Education Project Gold Award Winner
- 2021 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards Construction Marketing Services Education Project National Category Winner
Services provided
WT provided full Quantity Surveying services throughout the project, from inception through to completion. Our role included responsibility for tracking, updating, and reporting the budget across the full lifecycle — from preliminary design through to final account.
Specific services included:
- Preparation of estimates at Master Plan, Preliminary, Developed, and Detailed Design stages
- Priced attributes tender evaluation of ECI tender returns from three main contractors
- Negotiation of individual trade packages with the preferred contractor to establish the final contract price
- Ongoing cost planning and reporting during design and construction
- Assessment of monthly payment claims and preparation of payment recommendations
- Continuous assessment of submitted and potential variations, with financial implications clearly captured in monthly reports
- Preparation of financial reports in advance of monthly PCG meetings to support decision-making
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges came from building on a site of major archaeological and cultural significance. The school sits within the Redcliffs Flat Site (M36/24), an officially recorded archaeological area. Because of this, all ground works had to comply with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga authority, which set out strict requirements for how excavations were to be managed and monitored.
From a cost and programme perspective, these conditions added complexity. Excavation required archaeological oversight under a detailed monitoring plan prepared by Underground Overground Archaeology. Works could only proceed once an archaeologist was on site, with sections stripped and inspected by hand before construction could continue. When artefacts were discovered, sometimes works would halt while investigations or sieving took place. Each interruption carried potential time and cost implications that had to be tracked, reported, and built into forecasts.
WT’s role was to quantify and manage the financial effects of these compliance and discovery requirements. We worked closely with the design team, contractors, and Ministry of Education to ensure archaeological procedures were properly allowed for within budgets, variation assessments, and programme updates.
The pink pigment in the precast concrete panels was developed to match the colour of the cliffs at certain times of day, linking the architecture directly to Te Rae Kura — “the red-glowing headland.” This design intent required careful material testing and specification, but ultimately became one of the project’s defining features, tying the new school both physically and symbolically to its place and history.
Value added
WT added value to the project through our significant involvement in variation pricing, assessment, and negotiation. The site itself presented multiple unforeseen challenges, including contamination, the need for dewatering, discovery of in-ground asbestos pipes, archaeological investigations, and the removal of the old Sumner Village water supply tanks. These conditions required additional ground improvement works, each carrying potential cost and programme impacts.
Our proactive approach ensured these issues were managed transparently and equitably. By rigorously testing contractor claims, negotiating fair outcomes, and updating financial forecasts in real time, WT gave the client confidence that risks were being contained within budget parameters.
The effectiveness of this cost management approach was reflected in the successful completion of a high-quality facility on a difficult site, and in the project’s recognition with multiple national awards.
Project Lead:
