Understanding school property
Roles and responsibilities
Principals and boards of trustees have a key governance role in managing school property.
Your roles and responsibilities are outlined in the Property Occupancy Document (POD), a legally binding document.
They include:
- aligning the school’s property plan with the school’s vision
- working with a qualified 10 year property plan (10YPP) consultant to develop a 10YPP to ensure your school is well maintained and the physical environment supports your school’s vision for teaching and learning, within budgets provided by the ministry
- complying with current ministry property policies and requirements
- overseeing day-to-day management of your school property to ensure it is kept in good repair and students and staff have a safe environment
- engaging qualified project managers to manage school-led building projects.
The principal is key to building and maintaining strong working relationships with the Ministry of Education, consultants and project managers.
You are not expected to be a property expert. Your skill is recognising when you need help and knowing where to go to get it.
Some schools have board members who do much of the policy and implementation work for property.
Good use of board members, consultants and project managers mean you can learn quickly about property matters and not get buried in the details.
Property Occupancy Document – Ministry of Education
Facilities and operations – Ministry of Education
Property planning
Developing 10-year property plans (10YPP) ensures your school is well maintained and the physical environment supports teaching and learning, within the budget provided.
The 10YPP sets out the property work to be completed over a 10-year timeframe. The aims of the plan are to:
- prioritise:
- work that ensures the health and safety of building and site occupants
- essential infrastructure work that ensures the integrity and structure of the site and buildings
- plan for:
- modernising learning spaces
- maintenance work
- potential changes in roll numbers
- request additional capital funding, if needed, such as for new teaching spaces for roll growth. If your roll is growing, contact your property advisor.
Overview of the 10 Year Property Plan – Ministry of Education
Ministry support for schools
Ministry website
The property pages on the Ministry website are an essential reference for all new principals and board members.
The pages explain the regulations and requirements for state schools and describe the processes to follow in each stage of the property management process.
The focus is on state school property, but there is some information for integrated schools.
Key page for property management include:
Key page for health and safety are:
Property portal
The property portal is where you can:
- get information on your school's annual property maintenance grant
- view up-to-date school property data
- work out whether your school has the space it is entitled to.
Ministry property advisors
Every school has a locally-based Ministry property advisor. They should be your first point of contact for all property issues.
A property advisor can assist you with any aspect of your property portfolio.
Contact your property advisor at your local Ministry office or email the property help desk: [email protected].
Emergency response coordinators
When you have an emergency that affects property, such as a fire, flood or earthquake, contact your local emergency response coordinator. They are available 24/7 to respond to property damage.
Emergency response coordinator contacts – Ministry of Education
Other ministry resources
Guide to ILEs – Inclusive Education website
School Property Strategy 2030 overview – Ministry of Education
Tags: Systems and Policy
