Burnside High School’s administration block will close from Thursday until interim strengthening work is completed.

The school’s board made this decision after receiving a draft Detailed Seismic Assessment report, which indicated that parts of the building were below the minimum earthquake rating required under the New Building Standard (NBS). The Ministry of Education supports this decision.

As building owners, the Ministry of Education contracted Beca to carry out a Detailed Seismic Assessment of the administration block and the adjacent library block, which are seismically separated from each other.

Burnside High School Presiding Member Chris Dann acknowledged the short notice but emphasised that the board’s priority was the safety of students and staff.

“This closure will not impact student timetables or classrooms. Thursday is a designated staff-only day, giving us the opportunity to begin moving out of the administration block and into other spaces.

“Given that the administration block is rated at 15% NBS, below the required minimum earthquake rating, the board made the decision to close it.

“The library will remain open, with a rating of 50% NBS, above the minimum earthquake rating required.

“There is no seismic connection between the two areas – the administration block is a two-storey structure, while the library is single-storey.

“The library building has its own dedicated emergency exits, which do not require occupants to pass through the administration building,” he said.

“Engineers are currently evaluating what work needs to be done to bring the building up to at least 34% NBS and what interim strengthening measures can be prioritised to make the administration block safe for reoccupation. We expect further updates from the Ministry of Education at the end of the month,” Dann said.

“We are hopeful that interim strengthening work will take place over the Christmas holidays.”

Burnside High School Principal Scott Haines agreed that the school was not willing to take any risks with student and staff safety.

“Earlier this year, the board announced the immediate closure of I and J blocks after draft Detailed Seismic Assessments revealed both buildings were below the minimum earthquake rating required under the New Building Standards.

“The demolition of I and J blocks is now underway, and we hope to have 14 new classrooms ready by July 2026.

“In June, we opened a new 24-classroom teaching block, which includes specialist classrooms for hard materials, digital technology, and science subjects,” said Haines.

“With the exception of the Aurora Centre for Performing Arts, all buildings on the Burnside High School campus are owned by the Ministry.

“Previous seismic assessments carried out after the Canterbury earthquakes did not identify any concerns regarding other campus buildings. Nevertheless, the Ministry has assured the board that it has engaged engineers to review these assessments to determine if further investigations are necessary,” said Haines.

“The school commissioned a Detailed Seismic Assessment for the Aurora Centre, confirming it is not earthquake-prone.

“Despite these building challenges, parents and students can be assured that our reputation as one of New Zealand’s leading secondary schools, along with Burnside’s exceptional educational outcomes, remains unchanged.

“We will continue to keep our school whānau and the community informed as repair and replacement work progresses.”