Students work off school fees

Fifteen-year-old Michael Tapana's favourite job at school this year was planting 2500 pansies, which paid for his school uniform.

He also worked at the school to cover the cost of going to a youth conference in Auckland and to pay for his hospitality course fees. And he is not alone.

Several students who attend Otumoetai College are working off the cost of their school fees by gardening, painting, cleaning and emptying rubbish bins.

Otumoetai College principal Dave Randell said 50 to 60 families could not afford to pay school fees and had arranged other means for payment with the school.

Aside from setting up weekly automatic payments, students could work odd jobs around the school grounds to increase the credit in their "school account". He said offering students work around school encouraged a good work ethic, teamwork and pride in the school environment.