Standard planning for school property projects
The standard planning process means we do the planning in partnership with you and do it upfront. Once planning is done, your project is scoped, costed and ready to go once funding is prioritised.
Together, we understand the whole picture at the start
Standard planning is a specific term for our planning process. It means things happen in a logical and predictable order, with consistent, good quality results. Planning starts with understanding and prioritising a need, then designing and delivering the right solution.
This type of planning covers thinking about your school’s property needs beyond routine maintenance and repair. It covers things like planning for roll growth, upgrades, and redevelopment.
Standard planning is more transparent, predictable, and purposeful.
Standard planning means faster delivery and less disruption
Standard planning means you'll know what's being planned, why, and how it fits into your school’s operations. Construction and delivery are faster once funding is confirmed.
Standard planning and design mean we can save time and money by not building bespoke projects that need to be started from scratch. It means we can put more investment into consistent, good quality buildings and learning spaces.
4 principles guide standard planning
Standard planning is built on 4 principles that guide how we work with schools and kura.
Ministry-guided, with your input
We guide planning decisions, and balance Government priorities, budget, community needs, and regulatory requirements. Schools provide direct input, and consultants support us with specialist expertise.
Collaborative from the start
We bring the right people together early, so everyone sees the full picture before agreeing on a solution. We all work together to find the right answer for your school.
Straightforward issues get faster decisions
We right-size the process so simple projects aren't held up unnecessarily. Complex challenges get thorough analysis and engagement.
Evidence-based
Decisions are based on clear reasoning and documented analysis, giving schools and decision-makers confidence about the right option.
What triggers standard planning for your school?
Standard planning for your school's property project may begin in one of 3 ways.
- An issue is found through inspections, such as your annual site visit, or routine visits.
- Analysis of data such as network projections identifying roll growth, decline, or demographic changes.
- An issue is raised by the school, or caused by unexpected events or emergencies, such as flooding.
How we work with your school or kura
Your school or kura is involved throughout the standard planning process. Here's what to expect:
We identify the issue
Your school may raise a property issue, or we may identify it through our data and inspections.
We investigate
We notify your school and may ask for access. We review property and network data, investigate onsite, and confirm whether we need to start the planning process.
We share information with you
We share data and other information with you, and take the time to understand your views to make sure that any potential solutions will work and are fit for purpose.
We find the right solution together
We will work with you to develop options that will work for you and meet your needs. This can involve holding workshops with your school and other stakeholders, for example, mana whenua, to come up with a plan that will work for your school and community.
We seek funding
Once we’ve agreed on a planning solution, we’ll then work on getting funding and will keep you informed.
Planning is not a promise of a project. It becomes one when funding is available and the work can begin.
If funding is not immediately available, we’ll let your school know that it’s waiting to be prioritised for funding.
We deliver
Because the planning is already done, when funding is confirmed, we let your school know and delivery can begin without delay.
Standard planning works with standard design
Standard planning is our process for deciding what's needed, where it should go, and when, backed by a clear case for investment.
Standard designs are a set of pre-designed building options that make sense for most schools and can be configured to your site and needs.
Together, they work hand in hand. Standard planning determines the right arrangement for your site. Standard designs provide the building modules that fit into that arrangement like building blocks that can be combined to suit your school's site and needs.