It was the end of an era for the old schoolhouse on Raupahara Street in Marokopa, after being recently demolished for health and safety reasons.

The work was undertaken by Council contractors, following a blessing of the area on 31 July, which was attended by Council representatives, mana whenua, community members and students who attended the school in the 1960s-1980s.

General Manager Infrastructure Services, Shyamal Ram says the schoolhouse had become unsafe and its demolition was necessary.

“It has had numerous break ins and vandalism over the past year and any efforts to renovate the building would have required financial support from ratepayers.”

The cost of the demolition will be paid for using Council’s allocated Three Waters “Better-Off” Funding, meaning the work will come at no cost to ratepayers.

In 2022, Council received $3.55m from Central Government’s Three Waters Better-Off Fund to spend on projects that support improvements to town amenities and community wellbeing.