Paving the Way: Our Accessibility Project

With 30 steps leading to the front door, our building has historically excluded wheelchair users and has made access difficult for many others.

The task of improving access into Inverlochy House was an incredibly ambitious one, with an ambitious fundraising target, but feedback from our community such as:

“Needs easier access. Steps very difficult for people with even slight mobility issues.”
“I find the front steps very difficult this year as I get into my 70s.”

put improving access right at the top of our to-do list and three years ago we launched a six-step Accessibility Project  to create safe, step-free access to our school. Community support for this project has been wonderful, and it's been heartening to see Inverlochy friends and neighbours come together over bake sales, raffles, movie nights, and art auctions, to help make our historic building truly accessible to all.

Here's the great news:

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we celebrated completion of this project in early 2026! These completed phases include:

• construction of a raised wooden walkway connecting to a new top-level car park, including a designated mobility park. The walkway links the ceramics studio and the west entrance of the main house, creating step-free access into both school buildings. 
• Renovation of the west entrance to create a permanent, welcoming wheelchair-accessible entry point
• Refurbishment the downstairs bathroom to ensure it meets accessibility standards.
   

Our thanks goes to:
We would like to formally acknowledge the incredible generosity of our key sponsor, the Lloyd Morrison Foundation, who recognised the powerful impact that access to the arts can have on communities. Their support has been instrumental in helping us move closer to our vision of an inclusive, accessible Inverlochy Art School.

Our sincere thanks also go to our contractors Baldwin Asphalt Ltd. and Paul Hewitson, who offered generous discounts on their work, enabling us to stretch every dollar further.

And it goes without saying (but it still must be said!) a huge thank you to our amazing community: to the many individuals who donated at checkout or attended fundraiser events, to the Drawbridge whānau for their generous donation of artworks to our exhibition fundraiser, Ian Stantiall who provided architectural renderings, Two Todman Neighbour's Place, and the many wonderful local businesses who donated items for our raffle prize packs. 

Why Accessibility Matters

According to Wellington City Council's 2019 Accessible Wellington Action Plan:

Approximately 24% of people in New Zealand have a disability. This is much higher for people over 65 years of age, with 59% of people having some kind of disability. Physical limitations are the most common type of impairment (Stats NZ). There are also 3,500 mobility card holders in Wellington, most being over the age of 65.

These numbers are of specific interest to our community. A 2019 school survey found that over one-third of our students are aged 50 or over. All participants in our popular Inverlochy Connection programme of free art classes for seniors, are aged 65+. Without accessible facilities, we risk excluding a significant portion of our current community, let alone the many others that may have been prevented from attending Inverlochy on account of our access.

*The marvelous local businesses who donated to our raffles were: Kisa, Gordon Harris Wellington, Wellington Apothecary, Fix and Fogg, Aro Bake, IkoIko, Duck Island Icecream, Whittaker's, Emporio Coffee, Light House Cinema Cuba, Wholesale Bakery, STEM, Wētā Workshops and NZ Art Show. Ngā mihi ki a koutou.

Article updated: 27 March 2026