Mr Barclay made the announcement on behalf of Education Minister Hekia Parata at a school assembly today and said it was ''great news'' for the school and the wider Wakatipu area.
"We know how fast our population is growing and there’s a real need to accommodate more students in our schools and get ahead of growth trends.
“I have made a point of communicating this to the Minister a number of times, so I am pleased that those conversations have paid off.”
Wakatipu High School will be relocated to a new site at Remarkables Park and is scheduled to open for the start of the 2018 school year.
Budget 2016 included $25 million for the school to be rebuilt at Remarkables Park, with capacity for 1200 pupils, an increase of 140 when compared to its present site on Gorge Rd.
Mr Barclay said it ''makes sense'' to look at further increasing the capacity at the school now, given contractors were already on site.
“As well as ensuring that the school has enough space for students to continue to learn effectively into the future, it’s also a much more cost effective option.”
Over the past decade, the population of the Queenstown urban area had increased by 30%, and the population of the wider Queenstown-Lakes District has increased by 44%.
“The population of Queenstown is already tracking ahead of Statistics NZ projections, based on the 2013 census, and school rolls across the wider area continue to grow at a greater rate than expected,” Mr Barclay said.
“The Queenstown and greater Wakatipu district can be assured that the National government is investing to future proof Queenstown for the many young families that want to live here.”
Mr Barclay said he was also continuing work on fast-tracking the disposal process of the present school site.
In May he announced he was talking to Housing Minister Nick Smith to explore options to expedite the sale of the school’s Gorge Rd site to fast-track a worker accommodation project.
The land the school currently sits on is owned by the Ministry of Education - if it's no longer required for education purposes once the school closes, determination of its future ownership or use would governed by the Public Works Act 1981.
“I’m pleased to report that I’m making good progress to fast-track this disposal process,” Mr Barclay said.
