As your local MP, I'm proud that National is delivering on its commitment to provide better school infrastructure, with nearly 1,400 new teaching spaces funded since coming into government.

Every student deserves to learn in a safe, warm, dry, and fit-for-purpose classroom. Which is why Budget 2026 is investing $100 million to deliver 133 additional teaching spaces across Auckland through new classrooms and school expansions. For the North Shore, this includes two new learning support satellite classrooms for Wilson School at Wairau Intermediate, helping ensure students with additional learning needs can be supported closer to home.

More classrooms will give families greater confidence that local schools are keeping pace with growing communities. It will also support local jobs in construction firms, among contractors, tradespeople, and suppliers, helping to strengthen the local economy.

Alongside new classrooms, the Government is investing in solar panels across up to 500 schools nationwide. On average, schools are expected to save around $8,000 a year on power bills. Schools will be able to export surplus electricity back to the grid when not required, creating additional savings over time.

Lower energy costs mean more funding can go directly into supporting students and improving educational outcomes, while also strengthening the resilience and sustainability of the school network by reducing emissions and reliance on the wider energy system.

The National Government is championing high educational standards so every North Shore child has the opportunity to succeed.

We’ve mandated an hour a day of reading, writing and maths, banned mobile phones in schools, and introduced a structured approach to teaching so all students can master the basics. As a result, 58 per cent of new entrants are now meeting expectations in reading, up from 36 per cent in term one of 2025.

This is part of our plan for fixing the basics and building the future.