The final stage of Whakatāne Intermediate School’s extensive auditorium upgrade is now complete, with the installation of a state-of-the-art digital wall, made possible with a $66,449 grant from Trust Horizon.

Whakatāne Intermediate School’s auditorium is a well-loved and much-used facility.

From weekly assemblies and school productions, to open evenings, AIMS games celebrations, and community hui, the auditorium is used frequently by the school and the wider community.

“Over the years, this heavy use took its toll on the auditorium’s projector. The projector required regular small repairs just to keep it functioning,” said Michael Webster, Whakatāne Intermediate School principal.

“It cut out during a production rehearsal for the school’s 2025 show and even got to the stage where we couldn’t be sure it would turn on for school assemblies.”

Replacing the projector marks the completion of an extensive auditorium refurbishment.

Stage one – completed over the 2024/2025 summer holidays – included repainting, recarpeting, and seating reupholstering.

A new sound and lighting desk, splitter box, and 12 secondhand LED house lights (gifted by Trident High School) were also installed.

When seeking a replacement projector, a digital wall system emerged as the ideal solution.

Digital walls are durable and water-resistant, and easy to operate, service, and maintain. They are also energy efficient, with a lifespan of approximately 100,000 hours (or 10 years).

With an average roll of 600 students each year, this means as many as 6000 Whakatāne Intermediate students will get to experience the wall across its lifetime.

The production, shipping, and installation of the LED digital wall totals almost $67,000.

To make the project possible, the school looked to Trust Horizon for support. The grant application was approved and several months later the brand-new digital wall was installed – much to the surprise and delight of staff, most of whom were unaware it was coming.

“I told the team the auditorium was out of bounds for the week due to electrical work,” said Mr Webster.

“The wall was installed by the end of the Friday, and when we walked into the auditorium the following Monday there were some shocked and excited faces. It was quite a cool moment, a very nice surprise.”

Feedback from staff and students has been positive.

Teachers are enjoying being able to walk across the stage without casting a shadow across presentation content, while students are thoroughly impressed by the ‘big flat-screen TV.

“We used to have to turn all the lights off to see the old projector picture properly.

“Now the picture is bright and crystal clear, even with the lights on,” said Mr Webster.

“We’re really proud of our school, and this wonderful piece of equipment has made us even more so.”

With “community pride” a priority for Trust Horizon, the project aligned well with the organisation’s aims and values.

“Whakatāne Intermediate has shown tremendous commitment to improving the facilities for their 600 students, and the benefits of this new equipment will be felt by many in the school community,” said Trust Horizon chairman David Glover.

“The trust is pleased to support the school to continue to provide a quality education and modern learning environment.”

Without support from Trust Horizon, Whakatāne Intermediate would have faced years of saving and extensive fundraising to make the digital wall possible.

“Because of Trust Horizon we were able to make it happen now, for today’s students to enjoy,” said Mr Webster.

“Our refurbished auditorium is now a high-quality venue, and the digital wall brings it all together.

“We extend our sincerest thanks to Trust Horizon for making it possible.”