Schools make a hot deal

An office products supplier has convinced parents to spend hundreds of thousands with them by offering cash-sweeteners to schools.

Parents of MacLeans College spent half a million dollars at OfficeMax over three years. In return, the school got a $30,000 cash-back reward. More than 15,000 orders were received on the OfficeMax website this year from parents at more than 180 schools.

Robert Armstrong, finance manager at Rangitoto College, says by next year he expects to see 70 per cent of families using the site and benefiting the school.