Technical Institute Expansion Explained

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31977, 2 May 1969, Page 7

Technical Institute Expansion Explained

About 350,000 square feet of accommodation will be needed for the Christchurch Technical Institute by the 1980 s, according to the Regional Superintendent of Education (Mr S. S. P. Hamilton). He was replying to a letter to the editor of “The Press” from a correspondent, “Puzzled,” who wrote:— "It seems’ incredible that the authorities should even consider taking over 16 houses in a highly-priced and keenly sought-after residential area a few minutes from the centre of Christchurch for the purpose of erecting buildings to be used by the Technical Institute. I refer to the block of land bounded by Peterborough, Montreal, and Kilmore Streets. Surely there is land further out of the city which would be more suitable and could be bought at a much lower figure and much less cost to the taxpayer. I am not a property owner in the area concerned.” The present site was inadequate for the rapidly developing role of the institute and it would be necessary by the 1980 s to provide about 350,000 square feet of accommodation, Mr Hamilton said.

The existing site, part of which might be lost in the proposed motorway, would provide little more than a third of this accommodation

and must be supplemented, Mr Hamilton said. "Some idea of the magnitude of the institute’s work can be gauged by the fact that in addition to full-time students there are at present 4000 part-time students who attend on an average of two and a half times weekly, involving in all some 10,000 double journeys from their places of work or their homes each week,”’ he said. "These numbers will be expanded considerably in the future and a central situation readily available to the transport system of Christchurch is essential. The Peterborough. Street locality is ideal for the purpose,” he said. With the transfer of the primary and secondary divisions of the Teachers’ College to Ham early in the 19705, the primary buildings and secondary site will become available for the institute, said Mr Hamilton. This would not be sufficient to meet the total needs for education, however, and these would be supplemented by buildings on the adjacent block mentioned by “Puzzled.” ‘The deliberations of the National Development Council leave in no doubt the importance of the technical institutes for the future economic growth of New Zealand,” Mr Hamilton said.