A uniform row has erupted at Tauranga Boys' College, turning the spotlight on the increasingly expensive issue of what your child wears to school. CARLY GIBBS reports.
Perhaps Andrew King is on to something.
As the principal of a school that doesn't have a uniform, there's some relief in King's voice when he proudly states that his 145 students dress appropriately.
Many rural schools don't have a uniform, and Oropi, which goes from new entrant to Year 8, has celebrated individual style since 1899.
King has worked at the school since 2010 and says the local community would be split 50-50 on the issue of whether their children should wear uniforms.
Oropi has a sports shirt and compulsory school hat, but other than that, children wear what they like.
No uniform means one less thing to enforce and there are no supplier issues.
And increasingly, it looks like that might be exactly where King has one over his contemporaries at uniformed schools.
This week Tauranga Boys' College took legal action to stop a local uniform supplier from manufacturing and selling imitation uniforms.
Active Schoolwear Ltd (ASL), on Grey St in central Tauranga, was found to be manufacturing its own version of Boys' College's uniform, as well as ordering it through the college's authorised uniform manufacturer, ISC Lenco.
In a press release, ASL managing director Tineke Bouchier said they were a reputable company and had provided Boys' College uniforms for "decades." The company found the college's treatment "ruthless."
Principal Robert Mangan says the board of trustees has an arrangement with one manufacturer to ensure consistency and uniformity.
He adds that a school board sub-committee works through a selection process, calling for tenders, shortlisting, then awarding a licence to one manufacturer.
The school has trademarked its emblem and use of that trademark is licensed to one manufacturer only. It means the school only deals with one party if there are uniform problems, he says.
School uniforms are a bone of contention for many Bay parents who say the cost is high - anywhere from $200 to $400-plus for the full secondary school kit - and they'd appreciate the opportunity to shop around.
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There is a complicating factor to the uniform debate - and one which may surprise parents.
Some uniform suppliers are increasing incentives and upping competition in the hope to secure these exclusive contracts with schools.
Principals Federation president Paul Drummond told APN this month that he did not believe it was common for schools to seek bonuses from suppliers.
However, some suppliers are doing their best to entice schools and principals who have this week spoken to Bay of Plenty Times Weekend say some uniform suppliers offer a small financial return in exchange for signing with them. The principals made the point that such offers were always looked at closely.
Principal of Mount Maunganui College Russell Gordon says schools are ultimately motivated by the same commercial realities as businesses. But that they have to be careful that any commercial opportunities don't penalise families who already struggle with other school costs, such as stationary.
"Schools are duty bound to get the best deal for parents," Gordon says.
New Zealand Uniforms, which operates in Tauranga, offers sponsorship and scholarships back to schools as part of the business relationship and a way of giving back to the school community.
Owner David Bunnell, who supplies school and sports uniforms to around 100 Kiwi schools, says the uniform market is a competitive market and incentives aren't uncommon.
New Zealand Uniforms offers sponsorships and scholarships, and schools decide how they use them - be it for sport, academia or to help struggling families who can't afford uniforms.
"It depends what a school's needs and wants are," Bunnell says.
He says suppliers do not have a monopoly on the market - schools do.
"There are more suppliers, both wholesale and retail. Schools have never had a better time than now to negotiate better deals. The more suppliers, the more the price decreases and more discounts offered, whether it be scholarships or sponsorship."
He says sponsorships don't affect the final price to the school or parents.
Earlier this month, APN reported that some schools were asking uniform suppliers to pay for the right to sell their uniforms, in a move which could push up the price of kitting children out for class.
However, Gordon says this would be an "unusual practice."
The drive for schools to fund themselves, and the increasing prevalence of exclusive contracts with suppliers, has parents concerned that prices for these items are rising beyond their reach.
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Principal of Katikati College Neil Harray confirms competition between uniform suppliers is "pretty intense."
"They are very proactive in trying to get their company into your school. And when we call for expressions of interest, they are offering incentives," he says.
Harray says some schools may seek bonuses from suppliers but for most, price and quality is a school's top priority.
In 2010, Katikati College reduced the number of items in their uniform specifically to make it easier on parents. They replaced a jersey, sweatshirt and two types of jackets with one school jersey and one jacket.
The cost of a Year 9 boys' uniform at Katikati is $222 (polo, shorts, jersey, sandals) and $267 for a Year 9 girl (a skirt, blouse, jersey, sandals). The new physical education uniform, introduced this year, is $72.
Katikati is one of the few remaining secondary schools in New Zealand to allow Year 13 students to wear mufti. It encourages "smart and casual" clothing, not "beachgoers."
Harray says it's not uncommon for schools to have exclusive uniform suppliers and it's more cost effective to do so.
"A school of our size, we don't actually have a high number of uniform items and to make it cost effective, companies need to have so many 'runs' of items. Having one supplier works out quite well."
The college sells their uniforms through the school, not a retailer, and any surplus covers the cost of the uniform shop manager.
President of the Secondary Schools Principals Association, Patrick Walsh, says the Education Act 1989 is interestingly silent on the issue of school uniforms.
It is accepted however that principals have implied authority to institute uniforms. They must however consult the parent community and no student be prevented from attending school because they can't afford a uniform.
Walsh says most schools advocate uniforms for a number of reasons including building school pride, identifying students out of school, and preventing competition between students as to what they wear at school.
While some parents might bemoan the cost of uniforms, principals believe parents would end up spending more if their children, particularly teenagers, wore mufti every day of the year.
Otumoetai College principal Dave Randell says mufti days often see students try and outdo one another and Otumoetai now themes its mufti-days to make things easier.
Randell agrees the initial outlay of a school uniform is a lot, but it works out fairly cheap over the course of a year.
"Year 13s for example can buy a jersey for $105 and wear it every day of the year. I can't wear the same jersey every day of the year."
Schools work hard to offer parents the best value for money and Otumoetai chooses Active Schoolwear and the Elizabeth St Postie Plus to provide uniforms. Year 9/10 pupils have a slightly different uniform from the Year 11/12 students. Year 13 pupils have a "special," optional jersey. There is no differentiation between summer and winter seasons. The school allows any style of shoe, provided they're black.
"We are strict on uniform (though)," Randell says. "If 99 per cent go to the effort, then so can everyone else."
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One school which has tried to make uniforms affordable is Merivale School.
Two years ago the decile one primary school introduced a uniform.
Students are asked to wear a navy blue polo shirt, and "anything black". None of the clothes carry the school label, meaning parents can shop around and find the cheapest items. Most shop at Postie Plus at Fraser Cove.
Postie Plus stocks navy blue UV-protection polo shirts for $19.99, black shorts $16.99 and a sweatshirt for $24.99 or polarfleece for $34.99.
Merivale supplies 150 sunhats for pupils and dry-cleans them for no cost at the end of every summer.
Postie Plus in Fraser Cove also caters uniform items for Tauranga Girls' College, Maungatapu School, Pillans Point School, and Katikati Primary School.
Postie Plus manager Heather Annan says a logo costs an additional $5 to $7 depending on the work involved. Ironed logos are cheaper than stitched logos.
Annan regularly writes out Work and Income quotes for parents and has had mothers in tears. "My heart goes out to them. I say 'put it on layby.' It's really, really hard out there and I do feel for them."
A quick scan of online auction website Trade Me showed cheaply priced items including a Papamoa Primary School size four boys' uniform, with a starting bid of $10. The deal included two t-shirts, two pairs of shorts and one polarfleece. All items are five-months-old.
The Bay of Plenty Times' Bargains in the Bay, also showed cheaply priced items on Tuesday, with everything from school shorts for $10, school skirts for $20, shorts for $5, polo shirts for $15 and entire uniforms for as little as $50.
Many schools run second-hand uniform shops.
Last month, deputy president of the Western Bay principals association Robert Hyndman told the Bay of Plenty Times the price of sending children to school had increased with inflation.
"School costs go up a little each year and unfortunately income doesn't seem to follow. I'm aware more and more families are in financially difficult situations."Tauranga Budget Advisory Service manager Marjorie Iliffe, says it would be great if schools got together and made uniform buying easier.
Iliffe says when her three sons were at school in Hamilton, they were able to wear the same grey shorts and shirts to both intermediate and college.
"All you had to do was buy the (different) jerseys and socks. To me, it was just so basic."
"It comes down to affordability and there's an exclusiveness about it. It's not a bad idea for the school to sell you the logo and it goes on any (generic) coloured clothing. You've still got continuity there. If (some) corporates can do it, why not schools? It's a pet hobby-horse here (at Budget Advice)."
She believes schools get too caught up with having to have the exact regulation items and claims she's heard of children being sent home from school because they didn't have the right shoes.
Iliffe wonders if it matters.
"Who cares if it's the brown sandal with two straps, not the brown sandal with one strap. What difference does it make to their education?"
