KEY POINTS:
School holiday programmes are growing ever more popular, with long waiting lists and parents paying up to $200 a week for their children to attend.
Otahuhu Town Hall Community Centre holiday programme has been running for 15 years, catering for up to 45 children.
The programme charges $110 per child for a fortnight, a figure which many parents find well worth it, manager Sue Armstrong says.
"It's cheap, good value and good staff," she said. "We've developed a very popular programme, this time visiting the fire station, the animal farm and a couple of shows.
"Bottom line: parents know their kids are being looked after."
Parnell Trust has three different programmes running, with around 60 children ranging from 5- to 14-year-olds involved altogether.
A robotics programme, said to be the first in the country, is being held there, with children building robots from specially made Lego pieces.
Co-ordinator Sarah Guy said the workshop was expensive to run but worth it.
The Parnell programme costs from $40 to $50 a day per child, depending on age, for 10 hours.
Other popular holiday programmes in Auckland include the Ponsonby OSCAR, which has run for 18 years.
West Auckland's Massey YMCA holiday programmes cater for up to 200 children under nine different programmes, starting at 7.30am.
Blockhouse Bay Community Centre's is one of the cheapest, charging $15 a day per child, with outside trips inclusive.
Programme co-ordinator Maree Fraser said the number of holiday programmes had increased dramatically, but theirs was still a favourite with parents.
"People know us. We've got cheap costs, good supervisors and good trips."
