A Lower Hutt company that makes prefab classrooms is in voluntary administration but the Education Ministry says it is working with it.
The Ministry of Education says it is working with AdBuild and its administrators to ensure projects continue with as little disruption as possible (file picture). Photo: Ministry of Education
AdBuild's creditors appointed administrators at the end of March, and the company continues to trade.
It is one of three firms that won contracts to build modular classrooms last year, in addition to a $100 million deal done with a separate consortium five years earlier.
Advanced Building & Construction Limited (which trades as AdBuild) had about 30 projects on the go, though it was not being used to supply prefabs to leak-hit Hutt Valley High School.
Hutt High is instead expecting to get a total of 16 new prefabs from Portacom, the first four in August, then the others through to December, to cater for students forced out of mouldy, old classrooms.
"We are aware that AdBuild has been in voluntary administration since 31 March 2021," Education Infrastructure Service head Kim Shannon said.
"We have a number of projects around the North Island in progress with AdBuild and we are working with them and the administrators so projects continue with as little disruption as possible while the company is in administration.
"None of these projects are at Hutt Valley High School."
A parent at a Hutt High meeting with the ministry on Thursday expressed scepticism about when the prefabs might be ready.
Portacom is a member of a consortium awarded a contract in 2015 to deliver more than $100m of modular classrooms.
The ministry has about 140 such classrooms in use, including at Taupō's Tauhara College, which was shut down by a deluge inundating old prefabs in November last year.
AdBuild helped bring in prefabs at Wellington Girls' College last year that provide eight science laboratories, six classrooms and admin space, while quake-strengthening work goes on.