The Ministry of Education has signed off on a $2.11 million contribution to a state-of-the-art facility, to replace the school's main administration and classroom block, built in 1937.
''It's a positive investment in the Taieri district,'' Mr Hunter said, having taken over only a fortnight ago.
The $3 million-plus project was first mooted a few years ago, he said, and its approval was cause for celebration among staff, pupils and the wider community.
''It comes at a great time for us, because we are about to hook into ultra-fast broadband. Things are shaping up really positively for us. It's an exciting time for kids on the Taieri.''
The 76-year-old block comprises the school's reception area, staff room, administration offices, and library and information centre, as well as eight classrooms, including science laboratories.
A new 1600sq m block will replicate all the existing facilities, but within a more modern and space-efficient layout.
''This is brand new; it's not a refurbishment and it's not throwing new money at old buildings. It's a blank canvas and that means it will be at the cutting edge of technology,'' Mr Hunter said.
The school, which has a steady roll of about 940 pupils, will spend about $930,000 of its five-year capital works budget on the project. Mr Hunter was optimistic about the college's future.
''Taieri is a growth area and our enrolments are looking very healthy. The ministry has accepted that and invested in our school, and not before time.''
As a former Taieri College pupil, Mr Hunter had sat through many lessons in the A block, but said he was ''not sad to see it go''.
''It's old and expensive to maintain, so the decision to replace it rather than refurbish it is really important.''
The school will advertise for a project manager in the next few weeks, then seek interest from architects and acquire concept designs.
It was too early to know when demolition would start. It could be done in stages, with temporary classrooms being used until the new building was ready.
