The 1970s house was purchased for one dollar thanks to a groundbreaking new partnership between the College and Kāinga Ora. Since being dropped onto the school grounds in May, 70 Year 12 and 13 students have developed the skills to transform the home, from installing insulation and putting up the GIB plasterboard, to laying floors, building decks and painting.

Not only is One Tree Hill College the first school in the country to undertake such a project, but thanks to the tenacity and determination of Trades Academy Head Charlotte McKeon, it will also be the first Kāinga Ora property to ever receive NZGBC Homestar Level 7 accreditation.

“We were originally just going to do a small renovation but once we decided to go for Homestar 7, the project grew another life,” says Charlotte.

“Our trades students have gone from building furniture and planter boxes to working on large scale real stuff. They’ve been involved in every stage of the process, and because we’ve been renovating to Homestar Level 7 and V5 standards, they’ve learned all about the importance of thermal performance and efficiency. They have been carrying out work that has exceeded the building code, helping set a new benchmark for retrofitted homes.”

This invaluable hands-on experience will stand students in excellent stead for the future, giving them a leading edge as they launch their construction careers, and preparing them for evolving industry demands.

“It’s been so good — you couldn’t even have made this up! These students are training to be apprentices on an actual home, we now have a warm dry house for a first time home buyer, and it’s an initiative that has brought the whole community together, with sponsors like Winstone Wallboards, Kāinga Ora and BCITO. Everyone is pulling together to create the best apprentices we can.”

It's pretty much a dream project for Charlotte, who is deeply passionate about boosting the thermal performance and efficiency of Kiwi homes. When she is not inspiring students at One Tree Hill College, you’ll find her at the University of Auckland working towards her Architecture degree, so she can make life better for even more New Zealanders.

“We should all be able to live in warm dry houses. If we all have a healthy home we feel better when we wake up, we do better at work, our kids do better at school, we are automatically all doing better.”

The lucky family who buys this home when it’s auctioned off in December will certainly wake up feeling good. It has a full ventilation system, insulation in the walls, roof and under floors, and high-spec windows and doors, custom made by former One Tree Hill College students who are now completing glazing apprenticeships at Woodsglass. The house has a Leo Smart Panel (due to launch in New Zealand in February 2025 and designed to reduce energy consumption by a minimum 10%), and AeroBarrier applied on top of the GIB plasterboard for optimum thermal efficiency. It’s a winning combination.

“Used together, GIB plasterboard and AeroBarrier give you a tight thermal envelope, like a big puffer jacket on your house, keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer.”

Before starting the renovation, the rundown three-bedroom one-bathroom home was blowing a whopping 19 air changes per hour, but once completed it will blow just three air changes an hour, making it infinitely easier and cheaper to heat, and a whole lot more enjoyable to live in.

Learning about industry innovations like these, and gaining hands-on practical trades experience, has been a gamechanger for Year 13 student Dani Parker.

“After I leave school I want to start my building apprenticeship and this project has taught me so much, from all the different types of tools to the different ways of installing stuff,” says Dani. “It’s been a really good experience, especially for someone like me because I’m a very hands-on person. It’s also a good feeling knowing I have helped build a home for a family in need, and contributed to making the community better.”

Gordon White, Growth Market Manager at Winstone Wallboards, echoes the sentiment.

“We really appreciate the opportunity to work with One Tree Hill College Trades Academy on this project,” he says. “It’s been inspiring to see the level of energy and commitment which the students, school staff and wider community put in everyday to make the project a success, while also opening up new career opportunities for these students in the New Zealand building industry. We look forward to working with both the students on building sites in years to come, as well as working with the school on their next project.”

Will there be a “next project”? “You bet,” says Charlotte.

“The home will be auctioned off in December and the money made will be put into doing the same again next year. Kāinga Ora has promised us a ten year supply of houses so the One Tree Hill College Trades Academy will be doing a home a year for the next decade.”

Charlotte hopes these efforts will inspire others to follow suit.

“We are really trying to encourage other schools to take this on too. Imagine how good it would be for the future of Aotearoa New Zealand if every school was doing it!”