Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with two very happy Ashburtonians, College Principal Ross Preece and Ashburton Mayor Donna Favel.At Ashburton College yesterday morning, senior students were anxiously tidying their hair, straightening ties and desperately trying to pretend they weren’t nervous about greeting the guest about to walk through the school’s front door.

Her limousine pulled up, Prime Minsiter Jacinda Ardern stepped out and formality immediately went out the window.

She smiled, shook hands with staff, students, Ministry of Education officials and board of trustee members and that was the last traditional moment.

Ardern was at the college to announce the government’s commitment to fund a $50 million rebuild, but she was far more interested in touring the campus and talking to students.

Head students William Wallace and Mollie Gibson and deputy head boy Carl Cayanan stepped up as tour guides, with principal Ross Preece in tow.

Their job was to ensure the PM was shown the college’s buildings at their worst, the leaks, the cracks, the makeshift cooling and heating systems.

First stop the college library, well known for its leaky roof.

“We have buckets strategically placed, when it rains we know exactly where they should be placed,” Preece said.

That drew a laugh from Ardern but she wasn’t to be outdone on the leaky roof.

“We have one of those in premier house too,” she said.

She talked to students in the library and they didn’t hold back when they told her about the difficulties that came with working in a leaking library.

And then it was on to another classroom where the problems of poor ventilation and even poorer systems of blocking out light to make words visible on a screen were demonstrated.

Ardern agreed, but her focus was on the students.

She wanted a selfie, that quickly turned into a mass photo opportunity.

The impromptu photoshoot made the students’ day, but it clearly also meant a lot to Ardern as she patiently framed up with group after group of students – and adults.

Next stop was a class of Year 9 students.

They were clearly overawed to have the PM walk through the door. Probably for the first time that morning they were speechless.

When asked what they wanted changed at their school, what was missing, they were stuck for words, but when Ardern asked if they wanted a renovation or a rebuild, the answer was unanimous – rebuild please.

“The fact that you guys have to have your school meetings on the quad, is that good, what happens if it’s raining? Looks like there’s a bit of a gap there,” she said.

One brave student raised a hand.

“It would be good to have some air conditioning,” she said.

“And some heating’s needed,” another student said.

Ardern looked around the room, spotted electric fans tied to window frames and agreed.

“Some of this is pretty creative air conditioning,” she said.

Teacher Graham Bock didn’t hold back.

“It needs to be modernised, it needs to be a place the students can be proud of,” he told the PM.

“Well we’re going to give you a pretty massive rebuild of your school and we’ll build the classroom space you need,” she replied.

A Year 11 English class were more forthcoming.

The school was freezing in the winter and too hot in the summer, they said.

“Well I’m here to look at your buildings, what you do have and what you don’t have.

“Your library looks like it leaks, you can’t have school assemblies indoors so maybe we should give you an auditorium,” Ardern said.

With 11am set as the time for news of the $50 million investment to be released, Ardern checked the classroom clock and decided not to wait for the formal gathering in the school staff room.

“We’re here because we want to have the best possible place to learn and the best possible teachers.

“We’re basically going to rebuild your school.

“It’ll take a couple of years and quite a lot of money so we’re giving you $50 million.”

There was a stunned silence in the classroom while the news sank in.

Teacher Michael Clark was all smiles, knowing he’d heard the news before his peers.

As she crossed the quad, Ardern stopped to tie a balloon to the leg of a student taking part in a peer support activity, before she headed to the staff room.

There she could have been another teacher as she made her own cup of coffee, chatted to staff, talked to a staff member’s baby and did what she does best, mixed and mingled.

And then she stepped up to the lectern and told Clark because he’d had advance notice, he could make the announcement.

“It’s $50 million,” he said.

The staff room erupted.

Ardern joked that she had had an anxious moment after asking him to call the numbers – what if he’d added an extra zero?

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - 15 March 2019