Christchurch Girls' long-awaited rebuild set to happen under new principal

Saturday, 3 February 2024

Rebuild work was under way at Christchurch Girls’ High School in 2017, then paused, and will finally resume this year.

Christchurch Girls’ High School’s long-awaited earthquake rebuild should resume this year as a new principal takes the reins.

In a release, Christchurch Girls’ announced the work would involve demolishing a large part of the campus and replacing the old 1980s-era blocks with three big large buildings.

A start date has yet to be announced.

The rebuild was put on hold in 2019 and described as “a challenging project on a small site” by the Ministry of Education’s head of infrastructure service at the time.

The new plans will begin under a new principal’s lead: Helen Armstrong, who has over 30 years of international educational experience.

Christchurch Girls' High School’s new principal Helen Armstrong has over 30 years of international education experience.

Armstrong said it had been “such a buzz” settling into the new environment this week as everyone returned from the summer holidays.

The school has had “higher than expected in-zone enrolments” this year, she said, with 37 more year 9 students than expected so far, bringing the school’s total roll to 1252.

Armstrong is no stranger to girls’ schools with experience as deputy principal at Baradene College of the Sacred Heart in Auckland and five years as principal at Iona College in Havelock North.

Armstrong said Christchurch Girls’ High’s reputation prompted her to move south from Hawke’s Bay.

Christchurch Girls’ High School has had “higher than expected in-zone enrolments” this year.

“It’s right at the heart of the city, and [has] all the things I really value - that personal excellence and being actively involved in the community.”

She was looking forward to lifting the school “even further” in 2024, helping it and its students achieve the best it possibly could, she said.

“We want every student to say they have had the best education, the best opportunities we can give them.”

Before her 19 years in the Aotearoa education system, Armstrong taught science and physical education in the United Kingdom.

Christchurch Girls’ presiding board member Lesley Vehekite said Armstrong had impressed them with her energy and experience.

“Girls’ High is a Christchurch taonga, so we felt a huge responsibility to find someone special to take over as head. In the end it was an easy choice.”

Armstrong was appointed after long-serving principal Christine O’Neill announced her retirement last year, ending her career of more than 40 years’ teaching.