The first stage of the construction of a new $14 million state primary school to ease overcrowding in Wakatipu classrooms is expected to begin in the first term of next year.
However, the Ministry of Education has not yet decided for which year levels the school will open in term 1, 2015, after a year of construction.
An establishment board of trustees, in consultation with Remarkables Primary and Arrowtown Schools, will decide which Wakatipu areas will be in the school's enrolment zone.
The proposed school in the Shotover Country residential estate is a year 1-8 primary school on a 3.3ha site in Stalker Rd, Lower Shotover. The final roll for the school is anticipated to be about 650 pupils, almost as many as the 700 pupils attending Wakatipu High School now.
The first stage of development will involve infrastructure, specifically the library, administration, resources and hall, for 650 pupils and teaching facilities for 460 pupils.
Shotover Primary School, if the establishment board chooses that name, was expected to open at the beginning of 2015, ''subject to approvals and procurement,'' a ministry spokeswoman said.
''The ministry is likely to be able to confirm this date by December 2013 once approvals have been made,'' she said.
''We have begun the procurement of consultants to undertake project management and design services for the project. The exact number of jobs which will be created is unknown at this stage but will be assessed over the coming months.
''Demographic analysis will be reviewed annually to confirm growth projections.
''The balance of teaching accommodation for 190 pupils will be constructed as a stage two development when the additional roll demand is generated.''
There were about 1635 primary school-age students in the Wakatipu basin as of July 2012 and the number is expected to grow to about 2400 by 2020, according to ministry calculations.
The ministry plans to relocate Wakatipu High School from Gorge Rd, Queenstown, about 6km towards Frankton and on to 8ha of Remarkables Park land.
One of the main link roads, named Red Oaks Dr, within Remarkables Park, is under construction, although the new high school is not expected to open until at least 2017.
