Rotorua Principals Association president Gary Veysi. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua Principals Association president Gary Veysi. Photo / Andrew Warner
Principals and parents are trying to trim back-to-school expenses as the cost of living rises, with a Whakatāne single mum saying buying stationery and uniforms is a "huge struggle".
Rotorua Principals Association president Gary Veysi said all schools in the area worked "really hard" to keep back-to-school costs low forparents.
At Mamaku School, where Veysi was principal, a year's worth of stationery cost parents about $20.
But he said some teachers - including himself - would buy supplies out of their own pocket for those who turned up on the first day without stationery.
"I have got something a kid can write in on day one. If a family can't afford that $20, we will just let it slide. We will get the money from somewhere else and cover that cost."
Principal Lorraine Northey said the school's fundraising committee - Te Roopu Manaaki - raised about $8000 last year for the cause which was "immensely helpful" for parents.
"Tamariki start on day one and everyone has a stationery pack. It is about equity at our kura," she said.
"Our role is to lift educational outcomes, so if everyone starts on an even keel on day one - we know they are not going to miss out."
The initiative began when Northey became principal at the school about four years ago.
Now the only back-to-school cost for parents was uniform items. Lunch was also provided through the free lunch programme.
Northey said it usually cost about $5000 to buy stationery for the start of year, with the remaining money used as students required new gear.
"Sometimes it would it take two weeks before children got stationery, and it was not equitable."
Northey said the school was also providing free masks for students who did not bring their own.
All students at Whangamarino School in Rotorua started the year with free stationery packs. Photo / File
Whakatāne single mum Talia said it was a "huge struggle" to buy uniforms and stationery for her three children starting at new schools this week.
"It is a huge struggle with only one income in the house. You want to make sure they have want they need to go to school happily and be ready to get into work," she said.
"It has been very stressful. But over the last three weeks, I have been dealing with one child for a time."
But Talia, who did not want her last name used, said she found a way to cut uniform costs drastically.
She bought her daughter's uniform items - a black polo shirt and shorts - from Postie and then had a local embroidery store embroider the school's logo.
She said she had permission from the principal.
"At the uniform shop the polo shirt was $45 and the shorts were $69. The shorts I got from Postie were $7."
"There is probably a whole lot more families out there who would like to know such things. It makes life so much more manageable."
Ministry of Education operations and integration hautū (leader) Sean Teddy said meeting back-to-school costs could be a challenge for some families.
"Schools and kura are conscious of this too, and seek to minimise costs to parents where they can."
The Government also played its part by providing a range of supports for schools to help families mitigate hardship at the start of the year, he said.
This included the donation exemption programme, which provides $150 per student to schools that do not ask parents for general donations.
More than 210,000 children also received lunches every school day through the Ka Ora Ka Ako free lunch programme.
The Ministry of Social Development gave specific support for low-income families to help with items such as uniforms or stationary, Teddy said.
This came as national charity KidsCan was warning more children would be missing from the classroom as families struggled with both back-to-school costs and the impact of Omicron.
Staff in nearly 200 schools and early childhood centres supported by KidsCan have shared stories of the choices some families are forced to make.
"Families are having to make heartbreaking choices, like whether to equip their children with the tools they need for learning or buy enough food," KidsCan chief executive and founder Julie Chapman said in a written statement.
"Students are starting school with a sense of shame that they do not have the right uniform or stationery, and they don't want to go."
Teachers surveyed said parents were going hungry to pay for uniforms, siblings were sharing a bus pass meaning only one can attend each day, and students were staying home due to the shame of not having the correct supplies.
