All roads lead to Karāpiro School as pupils brace for expressway build

Tuesday, 9 June 2026

Karāpiro School students along the fence by State Highway 1.

The principal of Karāpiro School says the Waikato Expressway’s Cambridge to Piarere extension works will be short-term pain for long-term gain.

The $1.77 billion Cambridge to Piarere extension will see the four-lane highway extended by 16km and include a new interchange at Karāpiro Road.

While the existing state highway along the school’s boundary will remain, it will be turned into a quieter local road and given a gentle curve into Karāpiro Road.

The behemoth four lane highway will be built between the school and the river and diverts onto its own path away from the river just north of the school.

Principal Alana Thompson said they’re on board with the vision.

The new Expressway section will be built between Karapiro School, at left, and the river, with the existing SH1 along the school's boundary turning into a much more subdued local road. (NZTA rendering)

“It’s short-term pain, long-term gain. We need safer roads. We need better connections to our community and it's the right thing for our community long-term.”

Thompson said there had been plans to relocate the school from its current site to Karāpiro village while the extension was being built.

There were pros and cons to both staying put and relocating.

“I think living long-term next to eight lanes of traffic is something that isn’t ideal as a school.'

The proposed Cambridge to Piarere Waikato Expressway extension. The new road branches off from the existing SH1 route just south of the school.

She said moving into the village would have provided “better connections”, but the school would have been cut off from students who live along the highway.

However, those plans “fell a little flat” because of costs and timelines and had been taken off the table by the time she started as principal in 2024.

The school had received assurances from NZTA that it would remain at its current location.

“It’s cheaper and better to stay here long-term.”

The school roll is 24 but Thompson said it lost a few families after homes were demolished to make way for the expressway.

While student numbers had fallen, she was confident the roll would grow as the project progressed.

Karāpiro School principal Alana Thompson and school kids by the kauri tree. From left to right: Carley Nelson, Luciano Serei Smith, Jake Thompson, Louis Wakefield, Zoe Nelson, Ruby Seath-Boyte and Anton Hughes.

That depends on the timeline, with work expected to begin late this year or early in 2027 and take five to seven years to complete.

“To an engineer, a seven-year plan might not seem like a long time, but for a new entrant starting school today, that’s their entire primary education.

“For us, this is a big project and it has a massive impact on our school.”

One feature likely to be removed is a large kauri tree, to make way for a driveway connecting the school to a slip road.

Thompson estimated the tree was between 40 and 60 years old.

“We’ve got an arborist coming in to assess its age. It's not in optimum condition, so it's probably grown a bit slower than usual.”

She is asking NZTA and Ministry of Education to consider all options before the tree is to be cut down.

The kauri tree could be chopped down to make way for access to a slip road.

“If there is no other option, then, it needs to be removed with respect and with protocols and tikanga being followed with local iwi.”

Thompson hopes the expressway can reconnect people who live in the village and along the highway.

“We feel quite disconnected from our community. The expressway essentially splits us, and a lot of our community.

“Once we're better connected, it'll definitely feel more like our community is back.”