New Zealand’s most famous and resilient school – Redcliffs Primary finds a new home after nine long years of stress and struggle!
Who is Redcliffs Primary School?
Te Raekura Redcliffs School is a state funded primary school, situated in the beautiful coastal suburb of Redcliffs, Christchurch. For over 100 years the imposing cliffs of Redcliffs surrounded this idyllic school. However, all of this changed when the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes struck. The school buildings were damaged, making the school inoperable. The cliffs around the school were so unstable that the site was closed permanently.
Since then, the school’s future has become a matter of national interest. With the government constantly threatening closure, the school’s board and community supporters fought to keep it open, moving it to several different temporary locations between 2011 and 2020.
Their resilience paid off on June the 22nd 2020 when over two hundred children made national news as they walked through the gates of their new purpose-built primary school, right in the heart of Redcliffs.
The Prime Minister Jacinda Adern officially opened the school on June the 25th, two years after receiving a presentation from Redcliffs students at parliament in Wellington.
How was Crown FIL Workspace involved?
Crown FIL Workspace’s involvement with Redcliffs School began in 2019 when we were contacted by Naylor Love (the project manager) to provide pre-move services and relocate some items onto the new school building site. This led to an opportunity for the full relocation contract, once the school build and fit out was completed in April 2020.
Crown FIL’s services included full relocation support and planning, internal and external site relocation services, the supply of moving and packaging materials. Prior to (and after) the ‘Go Live’ date we were back on site to assist school staff with their final set-up needs.
Who were Crown FIL’s key people?
Crown FIL’s project team was led by our South Island Workspace Manager, Nathan Baker. Nathan is one of New Zealand’s most experienced workspace managers, specialising in large hotel, scientific, library, school and hospital relocations. Supporting Nathan was our South Island Team Leader, Adrian Cockburn. He worked closely as our first point of contact with Naylor Love and all other 3rd party contractors and school stakeholders.
Delivering on the project
This project was never going to be easy. After initially being commissioned to move the school in early April, plans were thrown out by the COVID-19 pandemic. After nine years of waiting through earthquakes, threats of closures and building delays this was one last challenge that needed to be overcome!
With the relocation timetable out the window and the country in ‘lock down’ the final plan became a moving target. The school, the building company, the contractors and Crown FIL Workspace all worked together to adjust and fine tune this fluid environment so we could meet the new ‘Go Live’ date of June 22nd, 2020.
Crown FIL Workspace successfully delivered all relocation services as planned and were able to adapt very quickly when programmes were changed. By the end of the project over 20 truck loads of school equipment had been delivered and installed.
Crown FIL’s Role – Planning & Details
Our project plan was very fluid and detailed. Every single item we needed to disassemble, uplift, transport and set up was specifically identified and inventoried. The project framework was drafted around this detail and identified how we would do it, the timeframe, the equipment and materials we needed, and of course the availability of skilled labour.
COVID-19 restrictions meant we worked closely with all stakeholders, each being subject to different regulations under the government’s lock down rules. This environment led to Crown FIL providing a more extensive level of ‘Go Live’ support than originally intended. This included supporting the teachers and staff in setting-up classrooms in time for teaching on re-opening day.
The key to the project was always about ‘the team’ and our shared goal of having the new Redcliffs School gates open for students on June the 22nd. The outcome was very positive for everyone concerned.
Dear Nathan and Adrian,
I would like to express my very sincere thanks to all of your team for their work moving our school. I really appreciated you coming in to check that things were on track.
Reg and Hone were such good guys. Their whole team were. They were professional but fun loving. With Naylor’s and Crown, I feel like we worked as one big whānau really. The boys were patient with our teachers who ended up having to send some things back.
We shared kai together and it was real teamwork. I think that it speaks highly of your culture in your business when a project that could have been really stressful went so smoothly.
Please could you pass on my/our thanks and how truly impressed I was to all of the guys.
Our school is looking superb and we couldn’t have done it without you. That kind of teamwork and understanding goes a massive way in life.
Hei kona mai
Principal, Te Raekura – Redcliffs Primary School
If you are thinking of relocating your workplace we invite you to talk to our friendly Crown Workspace team today, we can even help you source second hand furniture, set up your IT equipment and do you next office fit out. For more information call us on: 0508 227 696 or email: nz@crownrelo.com