Could the ‘Double Grammar’ become ‘Triple Grammar’? Co-ed state secondary school with no enrolment zone proposed for former Epsom campus, with support from both schools; land purchase and enrolment arrangements still undecided

The University of Auckland is moving ahead with selling its former Epsom campus. Epsom MP David Seymour wants the Government to buy the site and establish a co-educational secondary school with support from Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls Grammar, proposing that it have no enrolment zone and accept students from across the city. However, the Government has yet to approve either the land purchase or the school, and neither the enrolment arrangements nor the amount of public funding required has been settled. For parents, the key question now is whether this proposal can actually create more accessible school places.

Could a former teachers’ training campus find a new educational purpose?

According to a NZ Herald report on 30 September, Epsom MP and ACT Party leader David Seymour is pushing for the Government to buy the University of Auckland’s former Epsom campus to establish a new co-educational state secondary school.

The site, covering approximately 37 acres, or 15 hectares, has been used for teacher training since the 19th century, beginning in the 80s. With the last University of Auckland students moving out in 2024, the campus’s future use has become a new topic of discussion.

Seymour told the NZ Herald that Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls Grammar wanted to jointly support the establishment of a co-educational secondary school that would carry forward their educational philosophies.

In his view, residential development on the site could put further pressure on enrolments at nearby schools, while using it for a new school could expand access to quality education in Auckland.

However, this remains a proposal being advanced. The Government has yet to approve the land purchase or determine the school’s operating structure, enrolment rules or funding arrangements.

With support from both leading schools, the proposed school’s defining feature is ‘no enrolment zone’

Seymour said the schools’ headmasters and principals, Tim O’Connor and Brenda McNaughton, along with their respective boards, supported the idea. He wants the new school to carry forward their emphasis on academic achievement and high performance, while meeting some families’ preference for co-educational schooling.

Under his proposal, the existing Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls Grammar enrolment zones would remain unchanged, and families within those zones would retain their entitlement to enrol at the established schools.

Seymour advocates having no enrolment zone for the new school and accepting students from across the city, giving families outside the existing zones another option. This is not yet an agreed enrolment policy.

Seymour believes this could ease pressure on both Grammar schools and absorb some of the enrolment demand at other popular schools, including Mt Albert Grammar.

No enrolment arrangements have yet been approved. ‘No enrolment zone, with citywide enrolment’ remains Seymour’s proposed direction. The school’s status, capacity and specific entry rules must await a formal proposal, so parents cannot yet use this idea to determine how their children might secure a place.

From protecting playing fields to seeking the entire campus

An official statement released by the ACT Party on the same day provided further background on Seymour’s involvement in planning the site’s future.

He said he had been discussing arrangements for the University of Auckland’s departure from the Epsom campus since at least 2019. Initially, his main concern was whether Auckland Normal Intermediate and Kohia Terrace School, at the southern end of the campus, would lose playing fields or pedestrian access.

According to his statement, the Ministry of Education has been negotiating to secure the land concerned.

After the Grammar schools put forward the idea of a new school, his focus shifted to persuading the Government to buy the entire campus. He had previously considered that option potentially unfeasible and unaffordable.

The ACT Party statement also suggested that the new school could initially use existing buildings. However, further assessment is needed to determine whether those buildings are suitable for secondary teaching, how much refurbishment would be required, and how sports and other campus facilities would be provided.

Who would pay for land reportedly valued at around NZ$150,000,000?

Seymour told the NZ Herald that the site’s latest valuation was approximately NZ$150,000,000. He acknowledged that this was a substantial expense and suggested investigating the sale of other unused land held by the Ministry of Education to offset the purchase cost.

He cited a site beside Alexandra Park that the Ministry of Education bought in the 20th century, during the 90s. According to him, it remains unused.

The NZ Herald report also noted that he was considering using part of the Epsom campus for housing to help cover project costs while retaining most of the site for education.

The land purchase would also be only part of the overall investment. Building refurbishment, teaching facilities, campus maintenance and the school’s day-to-day operations would all require funding. The available reporting and statements provide neither a full budget nor an indication of how much the proposed land sales could raise.

A cautious government response: Demand, costs and the citywide school network all need consideration

Education Minister Erica Stanford said through a spokesperson that the Ministry of Education determines whether a new school is needed based on local demand and school capacity.

School land purchases must also take account of location, cost and priorities across the school network. She has referred Seymour’s suggestion to the ministry.

According to the NZ Herald, before selling the site, the University of Auckland must coordinate with the relevant government agencies, fulfil its obligations under the Public Works Act and comply with requirements such as rights of first refusal.

Seymour hopes to complete the land transaction in 2027, recruit teachers and students in 2028, and open the school in 2029. However, this is his proposed timetable and has not become an approved development plan.

He also said the new school could consider arrangements under charter school legislation to enable the existing schools’ boards to participate in its governance, ensure accountability to taxpayers and parents, and operate without an enrolment zone. The specific legal and governance structures remain undecided.

As housing grows, how can schools and green spaces keep pace?

Behind this proposal lies an urban planning question that extends beyond the school itself: as central Auckland becomes more densely populated, how can educational facilities and public spaces expand alongside it?

Seymour denied that his aim was simply to stop residential development in Epsom. He believes that as more townhouses and apartments are built, retaining green space and providing community facilities such as schools will become increasingly important.

If the campus were used for housing, how many additional residents and school-aged children might it accommodate? How much capacity remains at nearby schools? How large would the new secondary school need to be to ease pressure effectively?

Neither of the available source documents provides these estimates. The ACT Party statement’s claim that ‘if a school is not built, the land will be used for high-density housing’ should also be understood as Seymour’s assessment, rather than a confirmed development outcome.

Observations and reflections: Having no enrolment zone is only the first step towards wider educational opportunity

The proposal’s most promising aspect is the possibility it raises: drawing on established schools’ educational experience to create additional places and give more families a choice, while retaining existing school zoning arrangements.

First, the formal proposal needs to explain the school’s status, capacity and entry rules. Whether families from different areas could access places in practice must be assessed against the final enrolment arrangements.

Second, citywide enrolment also requires consideration of whether students can get to school easily. Distance from home, public transport and commuting costs would all affect how accessible the school would be in practice for families in different areas.

The Government must also explain why this investment should take priority. The characteristics of the Epsom site and support from both leading schools are strengths of the proposal, but public education funding must also address needs across Auckland and elsewhere. A comprehensive needs assessment and cost estimates would allow the public to judge whether the spending is justified.

Finally, whether the new school could ease pressure on existing schools would depend on the number of additional places and actual enrolments. An appealing school name and educational vision cannot replace capacity planning, staff development and long-term operating arrangements.

Seymour’s proposal opens up a new possibility for the former campus. Judging whether it should proceed requires a comprehensive needs assessment, a funding plan and arrangements for running the school, as well as support from both leading schools.

If the Government used public funds to buy this campus, which benefit of the new school would matter most to you: more school places, a co-educational option, or access to quality education for more families outside the existing zones?