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Home / New Zealand

Labour asks Auditor-General to rule on school charges

Audrey Young
By Audrey Young
Senior Political Correspondent·NZ Herald·
29 Feb, 2016 03:05 AM2 mins to read

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Three schools have been identified by the Herald, Mt Albert Grammar, Auckland Grammar School (Pictured) and Cornwall Park District School which charged $30, $50 and $75 respectively. Photo / Doug Sherring

Three schools have been identified by the Herald, Mt Albert Grammar, Auckland Grammar School (Pictured) and Cornwall Park District School which charged $30, $50 and $75 respectively. Photo / Doug Sherring

Labour has asked the Auditor-General to investigate the practice of some schools charging parents to participate in out-of-zone enrolment ballots highlighted by the Weekend Herald.

Three schools have been identified by the Herald, Mt Albert Grammar, Auckland Grammar School and Cornwall Park District School which charged $30, $50 and $75 respectively.

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• Top schools in out-of-zone payment row - Cash for ballot places

Cornwall Park refunded parents that had paid after receiving a reprimand from the Ministry of Education.

But Auckland Grammar and Mt Albert Grammar claimed they were doing nothing wrong - that it was a donation, it was not compulsory and there were administration costs involved in running the ballots.

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Labour's education spokesman, Chris Hipkins, said some parents believed they would be disadvantaged if they did not pay the fee.

"The right to a free education is enshrined in law," he said.

"It is patently unfair that some parents are being charged a fee to participate in a ballot which is a normal activity for school staff."

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He said it was evidence of the financial strain that state school were under, 41 per cent of which were in deficit.

He said he had asked Auditor-General Lyn Provost to consider whether the practice undermined the longstanding Kiwi value that all children must have equal opportunities.

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