As the cost of living climbs, anecdotal evidence suggests it is independent providers who are providing the necessities children need to enjoy a gainful education.
“KidsCan have been a life-saver for our kura,” Mangateretere School principal Mona Stewart said.
We’re talking about the donation of raincoats, thermal clothing, sports equipment - they all help, but it’s the cereals, yoghurt, toast, spaghetti, baked beans and muesli bars that make the most tangible difference to the children’s days.
“Without KidsCan and their generosity in giving us all this stuff for nothing - which is what I can’t get over - we couldn’t do the best for our tamariki,” said Stewart.
“We know they have two good meals and that they are actually better in the retention of their memories and better able to communicate, knowing what they want, why they want it and how they want it.
“Those were skills that were lacking here, and now the children are very comfortable about eating with people around them, which they weren’t very good at when I first came here.”
Families are struggling to afford many of the things that KidsCan provides, while Ministry of Education funding can be scarce.
It was for that reason that Mangateretere School almost didn’t open on Monday.
The 120-year-old school shares its site with Te Aratika Academy, which put a strain on its ageing sewerage system.
Broken pipes meant continually blocked toilets, leaving Stewart in a years-long battle to get the necessary repair work done. That was completed last week, meaning the school year could start as scheduled.
“You know what? I got pulled out of retirement six years ago [to do this job], and I am 72 next month,” Stewart said.
“I am fighting for the best education I can get for these tamariki. I’ve been in it for 50-plus years now, and I’m not putting up with anything second-rate coming into this school. It’s got to be first-rate, or watch out.”
Marewa School is another that relies upon assistance from KidsCan, for which principal Chris Meynell is extremely grateful.
Like Stewart, he fights hard for the children in his care, but it is the parents he’s increasingly worried about, as what’s been dubbed a “cost of learning crisis” worsens.
“A lot of families didn’t have a lot to go on anyway, but now it’s really starting to bite. Stationary and uniforms costs at the start of the year are major costs for families, and we’re trying to subsidise where we can,” Meynell said.
Payment plans have been put in place to assist families in absorbing school costs, including through Work and Income.
But Meynell isn’t sure that people in the Wellington bureaucracy quite understand the financial struggles many families face and how rising school expenses can become a barrier to attendance.
“People are doing it really hard. Just the basic living expenses on a day-to-day basis like rent, food and petrol all add up, and people don’t have a buffer,” said Meynell.
“So, if something goes wrong or their car breaks down or there’s something additional to pay for, it can make it very, very difficult for people. Incomes haven’t gone up to the same degree as the cost of living, and people aren’t filled with optimism that their circumstances are going to improve this year.”
