Southern Heritage Trust founding trustee Ann Barsby said she was happy the category two historic building would not be demolished, but felt moving it would likely be an excuse for not spending any money on restoring it.
The Ministry of Education was "hellbent" on moving the building but doing so would cost the building its authenticity, Mrs Barsby said.
Even if the roof shingles could be saved, it would be an expensive exercise and would likely be more expensive than restoring the building where it was now.
The trust was working hard to find a sustainable use for the building which would guarantee its future and a petition was being planned to gather public support.
The trust believed the history of the building should be leveraged to make it a centre for teaching local history, Mrs Barsby said.
It was built in 1864, at a time when the expansion of Dunedin’s population meant schools were becoming crowded, and the building was used to separate infants from other pupils to protect their health.
The model was later used around the country, Mrs Barsby said.
A lawyer’s letter was sent by the trust to the ministry on December 23 and a reply received on January 26.
The response said the infants’ building was "unable to be incorporated into a modern educational facility".
The ministry’s primary obligation was to support the educational needs of the school and its pupils in the present and future.
Heritage New Zealand had been consulted and it had indicated relocation was not inappropriate in the absence of feasible reuse options, the response said.
Expressions of interest had been sought, but a workable way to repurpose the building locally had not been found.
The trust had been invited to offer alternatives to retaining the building on site, the letter said.
Ministry infrastructure and digital leader Scott Evans said no alternative proposals had been received from the trust since the ministry’s letter was sent out.
Most recently, the ministry was in discussions with Ferrymead Heritage Park in Christchurch as a potential relocation option.
Feasibility work was being done before public consultation was undertaken.
An early works package was under way, affecting several other buildings at the school, including asbestos removal and the first stage of demolition.
Work on the rebuild had been delayed because of a shortage of contractors and one was expected to be appointed mid-year, he said.
