Mayor eyes former police station for new city school amid population surge

A new primary school for Auckland’s city centre is being proposed by Mayor Wayne Brown as part of his ambitions for 100,000 more residents living in town. 

Brown is releasing his full election manifesto – or plea to politicians – today. 

He wants a joint Crown/council approach to boost the residential population in the central city, by removing several barriers, including access to financing for apartments, new parks, amenities and schools, reducing homelessness and improving community safety. 

“The problem is we want more people living in the city and there’s a whole lot of buildings there that are not fully occupied,” Brown told the Herald. 

Finding a site for a school within a “walkable catchment” of the city centre must be an immediate priority, the manifesto says. 

It says Auckland’s city centre is New Zealand’s “biggest employment zone, largest public transport hub, largest visitor destination and most important business district”. 

“But the city centre residential population has stagnated. It is still plagued with fragmented decision-making, dispersed office accommodation and restrictive rules, like unreasonable fire regulations that make it impossible to build. 

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown wants 100,000 more residents living in the city centre. 

“The lack of schools within a walkable catchment of the city centre is a significant barrier to grow the residential population, particularly for families with school-age children. While the city centre offers strong access to tertiary employment, education, public transport and cultural amenities, the limited availability of schools nearby can make city centre living less attractive for families seeking convenient access to everyday services.” 

Brown suggested two possible options for a school – the former police station on Vincent St, or the site of the now-closed Kadimah School on Grey’s Ave. 

“If you’re going to have a lot of kids living in the city, they’ve got to go to school,” he said. 

“In cities, in Paris, people live in the city and they go to school. They don’t have to have fields and everything, they just have their schools.” 

Up to 100,000 more people could be living in the city if the settings were right, Brown believed. 

He said he’d like to work with the Education Ministry on issues such as opening up green spaces and amenities like pools. 

Crucially, he wanted work on city centre amenities to be led by council, not the Government. 

Ministry of Education director Auckland integration Te Mahau | Education Service, Leisa Maddix, said there were no current plans to establish a new state primary school in central Auckland. 

However, one may be needed in the future to cater for population growth and urban intensification, alongside three schools that currently provide primary education for central Auckland families. 

The ministry regularly reviewed population projections, residential development activity and enrolment demand to determine the most appropriate response. 

“This can include adjusting enrolment schemes, managing out-of-zone enrolments, adding teaching spaces, increasing capacity at state-integrated schools, or, where required, establishing new schools. 

“New schools are considered only when network planning indicates that existing local infrastructure can no longer be optimised to meet current and future demand. We will continue to monitor growth and enrolment pressures in central Auckland and assess what investment may be needed to ensure all students can access a local school.” 

In September, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced sweeping new proposals to allow buildings of unlimited height in the heart of Auckland. 

At the time, he acknowledged governments needed to be better at planning for schools and other infrastructure when increasing housing density. 

Act leader David Seymour is also proposing a new secondary school be built on the site of the former teacher’s college in his Epsom electorate. 

Katie Bradford is a Senior Correspondent at the Herald. She has been a broadcast journalist for over 20 years and was based in the press gallery for 10 years. She specialises in politics, business and Auckland issues.