Choosing the site

Selecting the right site for our college campus was seen as critical to achieving the Board’s vision for our United World College in New Zealand.

The site provides an international representation of New Zealand reflecting both the natural and community elements that make up this unique country. It also influences the type and quality of programme able to be offered and the character of the campus community. In addition, the location impacts on the time, risk and cost of resource consent, construction and operational costs, and on the New Zealand United World College Trust’s ability to attract the substantial funds required.

To ensure that it applies its effort and resource to a site that will best achieve its vision and before extensive site specific expenditure was incurred, the Board was committed to selecting the best site.

The following ten regions were targeted in an intensive six-month study that identified and formally reviewed more than 60 possible sites.

• Bay of Islands (18 sites located)
• Coromandel (8 sites)
• Bay of Plenty (3 sites)
• Rotorua (3 sites)
• Taupo (7 sites)
• Hawkes Bay (4 sites)
• Nelson region including Marlborough Sounds (6 sites)
• Central South Island (no sites located)
• Wanaka (5 sites)
• Queenstown region (9 sites)

SITE SELECTION OBJECTIVES

The objective of the site selection process reflected the broader objectives of the NZ UWC Board as outlined in its business plan. A summary of these objectives, as they relate to the purpose of the College and the campus locality, is presented below:

• Experiential learning in New Zealand’s extraordinary natural environment
• A deep connection to New Zealand – its people, its environment, and the challenges it faces
• The desire to live with a generous heart, seeking to give back to others as a priority of life
• Project New Zealand to future young leaders across the globe
• Forge invaluable relationships that extend and strengthen New Zealand’s connections to places of learning, trade, culture and friendship around the world.

In addition, the board is committed to developing a campus that is characterised by:

• Strong internal connections within the campus community
• Good staff/student relationship
• Active involvement in outdoor pursuits
• Healthy long-term community for staff
• A Campus that is separate from, but open to the broader community

To assist in the evaluation of potential sites a range of criteria were clarified. These naturally separated into two major themes:

1. Fulfilment of the board’s vision

2. Viability of the project

Vision Objectives:

A site that reflects the natural beauty and freshness of New Zealand:  The site will ideally be in close proximity to these key brand elements for New Zealand.

Has close proximity to a community that is of sufficient scale to provide a fair cross section of the New Zealand society, both now and in the future:  In the ideal, the College will be close to a community that is a fair representation of New Zealand’s society, including its multi-cultural elements.  This will enable an honest representation of New Zealand to the students.

A site with a liveable climate:  The more liveable the climate, the more outdoor options for teaching and the more memorable the student experiences.

A site with close proximity to the natural environment for outdoor recreation:  In the ideal, the College will be in an area that can provide a direct experience to the students of the New Zealand natural environment.

Close proximity to a community that will allow and support the integration of the students and staff:  The community link is critical on a number of dimensions, including:  staffing; community involvement; accommodation for visitors; etc.

Sufficient space and quality of space to allow for the preferred campus layout:  The College will be home to a relatively self-sufficient community of about 300 students, faculty and their families who will live on-site for two years or more. It will also be developed to take advantage of best practice teaching structures.  These requirements feed though to both spacial and layout requirements.

A site that allows the College to have a natural separation from the activities and community around it:  It is important that the College has its own heart and presence.  Sufficient space and separation is required for this to occur.

Viability Objectives:

Cost of the land, inclusive of gifts and grants: In the ideal, the Board would like to obtain the land at no, or minimal, cost. This objective being balanced against other costs and benefits.

Ownership of the land: A considerable investment is to be made in terms of buildings and improvement on the land, consequently a long tenure or ownership is required. In the case of a long term lease the predictability of changes to the lease will be a consideration due to the limited revenue streams available to the College

Ease of consent process for Resource Management Act: The time and cost to take a site through a plan change and or resource consent process needs to be considered

Cost premium for developing on the site: Each site will have unique requirements that impact on the cost of building the facility: This covers matters such as access to services and roads, the impact of topography, ground conditions and the shape of the site, and the proximity of the site to contractors and services and supply providers

Operational cost premium for operating the site:  Similarly to the development costs, the locality of the site will impact on operations costs.

Funding sources associated with the site: While the matter of land cost has been dealt with, there may also be benefits from service providers.

Existence of a local champion to promote and guide the project: At the site level the presence of a local champion will have cost benefits

Opportunity to generate income from the facility in the “off” season: Over the period June / July / August the College will be available for external use

Assessment criteria and application

In addition, the Board was determined our college:

• Be located at a site and within a community consistent with the values of the College: safe; a reflection of New Zealand; integrated, clean.

• Be located at a site that will be an asset for fund raising and the College’s international brand.

• Be able to be secured with a tenure and structure that will not inhibit fund raising.

• Be a financially prudent site on which to make the investment.

• Be able to be secured and approvals obtained within a predicable and viable timeframe.

 

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