Northland schools receive $1.5m for vandalism costs over 5 years

The allocation of operational funding for vandalism is calculated on a per-student basis depending on the school's risk level. Photo / 123rf

More than $1.5 million has been provided to Northland schools by the Ministry of Education over the past five years to cover vandalism costs.

Seven schools in Whangārei, one in the Kaipara District and two in the Far North requested additional funding to cover costs that exceed their vandalism allocation.

Louise Ānaru, the Secondary Principals’ Association of New Zealand president and principal at Kaitāia College,said the availability of funds to cover vandalism showed it was a normalised part of school management.

State schools receive funding through an operational grant to address vandalism to Ministry-owned buildings and facilities.

The grant is calculated on a per-pupil rate based on the school’s risk level.

If vandalism damage exceeds their vandalism allocation, schools can receive a top-up of additional funding.

Whangārei’s Te Kura o Otangarei posted on Facebook on April 1 that its long-awaited restoration had been targeted by vandals.

Paint was splattered across windows, walls, and the floor, delaying the project.

It cost more than $5000, which was covered by insurance.

Principal Danelle Watkins said it was the second act of vandalism after another incident 18 months earlier.

Te Kura o Otangarei has been allowed a steady stream of costs since 2020, of $1000 to $1700 annually.

However, it was on the lower end of the scale compared to the region’s high schools and primary schools with larger populations.

Official Information Act data showed Tikipunga High School was allocated the most operational and top-up funding, with $167,332 available since 2020.

The school with a roll of 352 students was allocated $47,209 as of March this year to cover last year’s vandalism costs. The figure is the most costly since before 2020.

The Ministry of Education [MOE] defined vandalism as wilful damage or loss to any part of the school site, including buildings or other facilities.

Arson damage that amounted to more than $2500 was covered through school building insurance funding.

School boards were responsible for managing vandalism, repairing the damage and taking practical steps to reduce damage.

Mitigation measures were discussed with schools by the MOE school property staff.

Those could include installing fences, alarms or cameras, or security consultants may be engaged to address the issue.

Capital funding was available if vandalism damage was found to be significant and required a construction project response.

Hora Hora School principal Pat Newman said CCTV had acted as a big deterrent at his school.

His kura had a comprehensive system as the space was not fenced.

Newman said those targeting the school were teenagers who did not attend. When incidents did occur, they would come in spates.

Hora Hora primary school principal Pat Newman. Photo / NZME

One example from last year was when roller doors on containers and garages were repeatedly kicked in by a person, resulting in costly repairs.

Inside the school, students sometimes shoved toilet rolls down the toilet.

“It’s more annoying than anything,” he said.

Newman felt the costs associated with vandalism were reasonable and did not speak to a larger issue.

Ānaru said it was difficult to measure the prevalence of vandalism based on operational grant funding numbers.

Her kura had experienced two vandalism events, which were after-hours break-ins.

One was of wilful damage to administration facilities and another to security gates and fencing, as well as the attempted theft of school vans.

Such events impacted the whole school community, particularly the property teams, who needed to remediate damage to ensure safe learning spaces, she said.

Lower-level graffiti, such as writing names on desks, was usually removed within 24 hours at her kura, she said.

“Following best practice on vandalism prevention makes a difference in preventing and reducing vandalism in schools.”

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.