Oded Nathan: When principals become developers
How Queenstown's housing forces schools to think like developers
Oded Nathan is the Principal at Wakatipu High School — a school of over 1,400 students in New Zealand's most expensive housing market. The statistics tell part of the story: Queenstown's median salary sits below $50,000, yet housing costs continue climbing. By April 2024, the school had already spent more on financial support for struggling families, helping with devices, uniforms and activities, than in all
of 2023.
But the crisis extends beyond students. Many staff members commute from surrounding towns, with many buying homes in Cromwell, 45 minutes away. "We end up losing some great staff," he explains, describing teachers in their late twenties and early thirties who realise home-ownership in Queenstown is untenable and leave for more affordable communities.
This talent drain has pushed the school into unfamiliar territory. Wakatipu High now manages a small property portfolio: four two-bedroom units in town and several three-bedroom townhouses amongst others. But with over 100 teachers and growing enrolment, it's not enough.
The school is partnering with businesses and the Wakatipu High School Foundation to offer subsidised rent and he's in ongoing conversations with Julie Scott at the local housing trust. Most strikingly, he's approaching council and developers to donate land where the school could build staff accommodation.
"As the community grows, you're going to have more workers, more students, and we're going to need more teachers," he argues, extending the logic to nurses, doctors, police, and hospitality workers. The question isn't just about education — it's about what kind of community Queenstown wants to become.
Oded worries about replicating Aspen's model, where workers can no longer afford to live in the town they serve. Becoming a resort town hollowed of the families and professionals who make it function represents "shooting ourselves in the foot."
Yet he maintains optimism about his students. Despite headlines about teenage struggles and wellbeing crises, he finds them "engaging, empathetic, kind and considerate." They're "really good citizens" navigating extraordinary pressures, including housing instability that forces families into impossible choices.
For Oded, the housing crisis has become an educational crisis. One that demands schools take on roles far beyond their traditional mandate, simply to keep teachers in classrooms and students supported through disruptions their families never anticipated.
