The demolition of Waverley High School has prompted concerns about asbestos poisoning and rubbish dumping in the town.
Some parts of the demolished building were taken to a residential property in Smith St and one caller to the Chronicle queried why this was allowed.
"It's unsightly and may be dangerous because of the asbestos. All sorts of stuff is floating around," he said.
"This is a residential area, not an industrial area."
The Ministry of Education, which is overseeing the demolition, confirmed that a Waverley man had been allowed to remove some materials from the site to his nearby property.
"During the demolition process, a resident requested firewood directly from the demolition contractor," ministry spokesman Jerome Sheppard told the Chronicle.
"Although the wood came from a part of the site that did not contain any asbestos, the entire site is a controlled work site with restricted access and the request should have been declined.
"The wood has been returned and removed to the approved disposal site in Rangitikei.
"The contractor did not have our permission to supply it to a resident and has been reminded of their obligations under our contract."
Waverley High School was closed by the ministry in 2007 due to a falling roll and insufficient NCEA results. The school has been repeatedly vandalised in the intervening years.
Mr Sheppard said the property had since been going through the Public Works Act disposal process.
"We expect the site to be put on the open market for sale before the end of the year, unless it is sold prior to this under a Treaty of Waitangi right of first refusal option."
Mr Sheppard said asbestos removal had been carried out in accordance with health and safety practices.
"As is often the case with buildings of this age, our pre-demolition specialists found asbestos within the buildings. Until the 1980s, asbestos was used in the construction of most buildings because of its fire-resistant properties."
Most of the school buildings are being demolished, with the exception of the Maori studies classrooms, which are being moved to Te Wairoa-Iti Marae, and the school house, which will remain at the site.
The demolition work is expected to be completed by the middle of November.