The land and buildings of the former Auckland International College (AIC) in Blockhouse Bay are for sale with vacant possession, as the motivated Japan-based vendor exits the market following the school’s closure.

Established in 2003 and initially operating from commercial premises in Auckland’s CBD, AIC was a private secular coeducational college owned by Japanese company Oshu Corporation Incorporated, and operated by a governing council.

It was New Zealand’s only school exclusively dedicated to providing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and at its peak, catered for around 300 students, mainly from China, Korea, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan and Hong Kong.

AIC earned a global reputation for academic excellence, however post-pandemic, it struggled to attract international students back to New Zealand. Late-2021 AIC announced that its doors would close due to a dramatically-reduced school roll and future uncertainties, with a staged shutdown to ensure existing students could complete their studies.

The college had moved to the Blockhouse Bay facility in 2012, taking over the site which had been home to the now-defunct Hill Top private school.

Occupying 1.28ha of land held in multiple titles and zoned Residential – Mixed Housing Urban, the property at 29, 33 and 37 Heaphy Street supports a number of education blocks comprising classrooms, staff administration areas, library, science labs, art studio, dining areas, and student breakout zones. The total building area is around 2,800sqm, and there are 45 on-site car parks.

The property is being sold via an expressions of interest campaign with Cameron Melhuish, Wesley Gerber and Craig Smith of Bayleys closing Thursday, 28th November, unless sold prior.

The campus is offered in “as is, where is” condition with many parts of the school remaining equipped for teaching purposes, and potentially offering a turnkey option for another education provider, says Melhuish.

“This has been a great site for a school with plenty of green space and good amenities. Looking at the coalition government’s current push for charter schools in New Zealand and the interest received for its first funding round, there is arguably demand out there for existing and fit-for-purpose school facilities.

“There will be more application rounds to come and as there is a requirement to have confirmed property options as part of the application process, this former AIC facility could well suit an emerging school.

“It would also work for an established specialist education or sports training entity that could make use of the existing campus amenities and there’s also hope that the New Zealand international education sector could rebound so facilities like this one could be revitalised.”

Melhuish says given that the large flat site is significantly underutilised, is surrounded by residential properties and the residential zoning overlay allows for medium density development, he’s expecting strong interest from developers.

“As a suburb, Blockhouse Bay has benefitted from rising prices in the immediate city fringe suburbs, and is viewed as a more affordable option with good public transport connectivity, reserves and recreational areas, schooling and neighbourhood service/retail offerings.

“Construction costs are stabilising, interest rates are coming back, and confidence is gradually returning so well-capitalised developers looking to diversify in the market to spread risk could look to buy this site now and wait for fundamentals to line up for a residential project.”

The Residential – Mixed Housing Urban zoning allows for many different housing typologies including detached houses, townhouses, and low-rise apartments to three storeys.

When AIC was operating, many of its international students were accommodated in a residential boarding facility in Henderson, which Bayleys recently sold on behalf of AIC. This shows the vendor’s motivation to divest its New Zealand property interests with Melhuish saying that his instructions are clear that the Blockhouse Bay facility is to be sold.

Click here for more information on the listing.