Families are seeking support as struggles to afford school necessities increase.
Families are seeking support as struggles to afford school necessities increase.
The start of a new school year brings significant costs to families, often requiring outside support and funding for school uniforms, food, shoes and stationery.
Rangitīkei mum Katie Deere has had a significant increase in demand over the past year for her free second-hand uniform service, Marton Uniform Exchange.
In 2022 she started collecting second-hand uniforms to distribute to those who needed them but found many were damaged.
“I’m not a sewer but uniforms were coming in with holes, or buttons missing, or broken zips, and although I can fix some stuff, some is too expensive and takes too much time so it would end up going to the dump,” Deere said.
Rangitīkei District Council’s tamariki/rangatahi youth engagement officer Justine Rowe, who is a friend of Deere, looked into how the council could assist.
Engagement officer Angela Coleman and volunteer Clara Reibel provide free sewing lessons and alterations at Marton Library.
Marton Uniform Exchange, assisted by (clockwise from top left) Katie Deere, Justine Rowe, Clara Reibel and Angela Coleman, repairs, alters and donates school uniforms for families in need. Photo / Rangitīkei District Council
“We approached both Angela and Clara to see if it was something that they could do, and they were very keen to offer their skills to the Marton Uniform Exchange,” Rowe said.
Deere said a motivation behind the service was sustainability, “especially now we’re in such a throwaway society”.
“You see a little hole or something that might need a patch but a lot of our generations weren’t brought up to be able to have the skills to sew a patch on or fix a seam – so the default is to throw them away.”
The pieces Deere received that were beyond repair were donated to the library for its school holiday crafts.
“They make bags, teddies and all sorts of stuff,” she said.
“It all goes round.”
The Marton Uniform Exchange was available to other areas in the Rangitīkei district and uniforms that needed altering could be dropped off at Taihape Library and Te Matapihi in Bulls.
Although Deere offered the uniforms for free, even if people had nothing to exchange, her service relied on donations.
“As your kid grows out [of it], you can grab a whole set the next size up, donate the small set back in, and it becomes a constant revolving thing of free uniforms,” she said.
The Uniform Exchange offers free alterations, repairs and uniforms for those who need them.
“Even 15 bucks for a second-hand shirt is quite a lot for some people these days,” Deere said.
According to Andersons Uniforms Whanganui’s school uniform lists, the average cost of a new school uniform, including one set of compulsory items, shoes, socks, PE uniform and a jersey, over four Whanganui secondary schools is $408.30.
Whanganui’s Carlton School principal Gary Johnston said there was an increasing demand for the school’s support programmes.
“Anecdotally, it’s a growing problem,” Johnston said.
“Probably one-third of our families, as a conservative estimate, have financial struggles.”
Carlton School offers free second-hand uniforms, breakfast and lunch programmes and has a partnership with charity KidsCan.
“Not necessarily a barrier in coming to school, but a barrier to achieving in school, is hunger. A lot of tamariki arrive at school hungry so we provide breakfast quietly as they arrive,” Johnston said.
Discretion was important in the support Carlton School provided.
“The key thing is making sure it’s mana-enhancing. A lot of people don’t want to be seen as having those needs and barriers, so we try and do it as quietly as possible and offer to every family.”
Johnston was passionate about providing fair and equal education, no matter the child’s home situation.
“If they’re coming to school hungry or upset about things at home or clothing’s a problem, that has a significant impact on their learning,” he said.
“They’re fantastic kids, they’re all really intelligent and some of them have really interesting skills that don’t always come through in academic testing.
“But, if they’re feeling whakama, if they’re feeling a bit stink, or if they’re feeling hungry, school’s a really emotional place and there’s a huge impact on them.”
Carlton School is one of 1100 schools and early-child education centres to which KidsCan provides shoes and coats for any students who need them.
“With an increasing number of families reporting that they’ve run out of food in the last year, the need for the essentials we provide – food, shoes and jackets – is greater than ever,” KidsCan founder and chief executive Julie Chapman said.
“We want all children to get to school on day one, ready to participate and learn.”
KidsCan aims to support another 1000 students this year and is calling for 1000 people to make a $30 donation via kidscan.org.nz to reach the goal.
People who have uniforms they would like to donate to Marton Uniform Exchange can email martonuniformexchange@gmail.com
Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
