‘It’s a bit of an eyesore’: The derelict Hamilton school that’s sat empty for 20 years

Sunday, 17 May 2026

An abandoned, boarded-up school in Hamilton has been put up for sale.

Bader’s Richmond Park School was largely closed 20 years ago and much of it has sat empty since then.

Locals are hoping the site is used for something that will benefit the community.

A boarded-up school with asbestos that’s sat derelict in the Hamilton suburb of Bader for more than 20 years is up for sale.

Locals are hoping Richmond Park School, on the corner of Pine Ave and Bader St, is used for something that’ll benefit the community.

“That [school] was a community of our friends,” former pupil Lorraine Clarke told Stuff. “A lot of us came from troubled families because it is a welfare area with state housing and poverty.”

She attended Richmond Park in the 80s and said, while it wasn’t the flashest of schools, she met lots of good people.

“It would be so nice to see a developer make it into something that helps that community, because there's so much that's been stripped out. Even a playground or a green space.

“I know it's a rough area, and I know the people aren't the best always, but it doesn't mean that they deserve less.

“I think it would be nice for that, instead of just townhouses or something.”

Clarke said she sees the derelict school every time she visits her mother’s house.

“It’s sad that it’s deteriorated to the point where they're just gonna have to bowl it.

“If action had been taken earlier, it would not have got to that state.”

The site has been divided into three parcels, with most of the school buildings for sale. A few classrooms have been retained by the Crown and leased to Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust. A third parcel is subject to discussions with the Department of Conservation who are trying to protect a rare bat.

When Stuff visited on Friday, classrooms that would once have been bustling with children had boards over the windows and doors.

An old sign still attached to the tired-looking buildings read “no games of any kind on front lawn area. Also no tree climbing allowed”.

While the grass had been mowed, weeds had grown around chipped yellow-painted wooden benches sitting under damaged guttering.

What sounded like gunshots rang out across the road, as children from Te Kōhanga Reo ran inside.

(Police confirmed armed officers were in the area conducting a preplanned search but said no shots were fired.)

The site is being sold by Colliers Hamilton. Director of commercial sales and leasing Alan Pracy said there’d been good interest from potential owner-occupiers, community groups and developers.

“I would think it would end up being redeveloped, versus people making much use of the existing buildings. Not that it's impossible, but they're tired old classrooms with a level of asbestos and various other things.

“It does have a swimming pool. I'm not sure if you want to go for a swim in it at the moment, but it does have a swimming pool.

“I think certainly there is a groundswell of [the community] wanting to see something happen with it. It's a bit of an eyesore at the moment.”

He said they thought it would sell for something north of a million dollars, “which isn't hugely expensive”.

“It's just under a hectare of land, so it's a pretty big piece of dirt for that sort of money.”

The Ministry of Education’s director of education for Waikato, Marcus Freke, said Richmond Park School officially closed in January 2005, after consultation with the school board and engagement with the community.

Freke said at the time, school sites across the country were being reviewed amid declining rolls.

“To the best of our knowledge there were no refurbishment plans as there were enough other schools in the [local] network to cater for students at that time, including when considering future network planning.

“The former school site entered the Ministry of Education’s disposal programme because it was no longer required for education purposes. This decision was made in June 2022.

“The time taken between the closure of the school and now has been affected by a range of factors.

“These include Hamilton Girls’ High School’s use until 2013, exploration of other options for the site’s long-term use, the need to undertake subdivision and infrastructure works to support the ongoing use of part of the site by Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, and discussions with the Department of Conservation regarding protection of the long-tailed bat habitat.

“Legal requirements, including offering the land to Waikato Tainui under settlement legislation, have also been another step within this broader process.”

Freke confirmed asbestos-containing materials were present in the buildings on the portion of the site for sale, noting that a 2018 survey assessed the risk as low to medium.

He said all proceeds from the sale of surplus property were returned to The Treasury.