Editorial: Back-to-school costs crippling for many Kiwi families

School uniforms are one of the top expenses for parents at this time of the year. Photo / Michael Craig

Editorial

With the school year kicking off next week, January is one of the toughest months for New Zealand families with school-aged children.

On top of the day-to-day household costs, Kiwi parents have to spend hundreds more dollars to set their children up for the year ahead.

As Bay of Plenty Times journalist Kaitlyn Morrell reported this week, a review of back-to-school costs for a student starting Year 9 at seven high schools across Tauranga and Rotorua has found that families could pay more than $800 a child for essential uniforms, stationery, and technology.

The situation is not too dissimilar in other parts of New Zealand.

Across the motu, families are struggling to cope with the still-high cost of living. Back-to-school costs are an added stress to start the year after the expense of Christmas.

For many, summer is not a time to relax but, rather, a time to stress about how much money needs to be spent.

NZME‘s review of published compulsory uniform, stationery and technology lists for a student starting Year 9 at seven high schools counted the costs.

Uniforms could run as high as $500, core stationery was between $50 and $80, and technology a minimum of $350 for a Chromebook laptop recommended by most schools.

A set of compulsory summer uniform items – including two tops, one skirt or shorts, PE gear, shoes, socks, and a hat – were between $300 and $500 depending on the school.

Families are feeling the weight of these expenses. In the March 2024 quarter, the Ministry of Social Development granted almost $336,000 in school education costs hardship grants – a financial programme provided by the Government allowing eligible people to receive one-off payments covering immediate or essential costs.

KidsCan chief executive Julie Chapman told NZME that the charity has been “overwhelmed with schools asking for help to feed and clothe students”.

The organisation was running an appeal to get school supplies out to children.

“This support eases the burden on families, freeing up money for stationery and other back-to-school costs,” Chapman added.

Many people will read these figures and argue that parents should be budgeting for this throughout the year, setting a small amount of money aside each month so that these expenses don’t come as such a shock in January.

While that is a good tip in theory, there are families with young children in New Zealand who do not have any amount left over to set aside each month. Those are the ones most at risk and the ones who need our help, if we are to ensure we have a fair and equitable education system.

Can New Zealand really claim to have a “free” public education system when the cost of sending a child to public school is in the hundreds of dollars?

The coalition Government told New Zealanders it would tackle the skyrocketing cost of living, yet you would be hard pressed to find someone for whom life has become any easier recently.

No child should go to school without the materials they need to access their education. No parent should have to struggle to access those items.

More needs to be done to help parents in New Zealand cope with school costs because helping parents means helping our tamariki succeed.