David Seymour campaigns for government to buy Epsom university site
Wednesday 30 September 2026 · 3 outlets · 4 reports · updated In this story ACT Party, David Seymour, Ministry of Education, University of Auckland, Auckland Grammar School
ACT leader and Epsom MP David Seymour is urging the government to acquire the University of Auckland's vacant 37-acre Epsom campus. He proposes using the land for a new co-educational public school to prevent high-density housing from increasing pressure on local grammar school zones.
Key facts
4 facts
- The site is a 37-acre (15ha) former teacher training campus in Epsom
- The land is owned by the University of Auckland
- The most recent valuation of the land is $150 million
- The site has been mostly vacant since 2023
The full story
1 min read · 3 outlets
ACT leader and Epsom MP David Seymour is campaigning for the government to purchase the University of Auckland's former Epsom campus to establish a new school. The proposal involves creating an unzoned, co-educational state secondary school on the 37-acre (15ha) site.
The idea was brought to Seymour by the principals and boards of Auckland Grammar School and Epsom Girls' Grammar School. The proposed school would be jointly operated by the two neighbouring schools to relieve enrolment pressures on local secondary schools.
The site has been largely vacant since the university moved its faculty out in 2023. Seymour suggested the $150 million cost could be offset by selling unused Ministry of Education land, such as a site near Alexandra Park purchased in the 1990s.
The University of Auckland is currently working through a formal process regarding the potential sale of the land. This process must navigate legal requirements, including the Public Works Act and Treaty settlement right-of-first-refusal provisions for iwi.
Where reports differ
- Reports vary on when the principals approached Seymour, with one stating May and another stating July.
Compiled from reports by NZ Herald, RNZ and Stuff.