"I'm not saying it's unreasonable for parents to buy sports uniforms or pay for camp but I worry that if we don't stand up now, it will just compound and get worse.
"I think it's a tough situation for everyone and I do think the schools are stuck between a rock and a hard place with the shortfalls in their funding but things are hard for parents too.
"If we all band together then at least everyone will be on the same page and we won't see our kids suffer."
In a written statement to the Rotorua Daily Post, Education Minister Hekia Parata said funding for schooling had increased by 35 per cent since 2008/9 while student numbers had increased by only 3.6 per cent.
"Schools receive discretionary funding in the form of operational grants. It is up to them to decide the best use of that money.
"When it comes to donations, parents have always been able to contribute to their schools, but no parent should feel compelled to pay a donation. They are voluntary.
"School boards set the voluntary contribution that parents can make, and they should take into account their communities when setting these."
Ministry of Education head of sector enablement and support Katrina Casey said the right to free education, guaranteed under the Education Act 1989, meant there should be no charges associated with the delivery of the curriculum.
"State schools cannot charge compulsory fees and no request for donations are legally enforceable. Donations cannot be "owed" or treated as a debt.
"When donations are sought from parents or caregivers it should be made clear they are voluntary. Parents can then choose to pay the donation in full, in part, or not at all."
Otonga Rd Primary School principal Linda Woon said at her school donations were optional but children could be excluded from activities if the school's activity fee was not paid.
"The activity fee is for things a school can't afford. Extracurricular things that are not funded but parents like their kids to have. Camp is the perfect example - we don't have the funding to cover children whose parents can't pay so ultimately that child cannot go.
"We tell parents the year before their child goes to camp that there is a $150 fee that needs to be paid so we give them a lot of notice and have different payment options.
"A child that can't go can still complete the classroom component of the activity but they do miss out on the fun part."
Ms Woon said she could understand how parents might feel pressured to pay the fees.
"Every parent wants the best for their child but what options does a school have? Do we get rid of all the extra bits so we are offering the bare backed primary school education?
"The Ministry of Education pays for the bread and butter of education, not the chocolate sprinkles that everyone wants."
John Paul College principal Patrick Walsh said students would never miss out on the education aspect of an activity but for those that cannot pay "the offered alternative is sometimes not liked by parents".
"They still get the same education but rather than going on a trip, they get the information from the internet. The do feel a bit remiss because they can't take part in the activity all their friends are doing.
"We've never had to exclude a child because we are fortunate enough to have a discreet fund for those families with limited financial means. But if parents want things like camps, sports equipment and the latest technology, they need to pay for it.
"It's one or the other, parents pay or the Government pays, not just for the basic education but the 21st century education with all the bells and whistles."
Western Heights Primary School principal Brent Griffin said he could see the issue from both sides.
"I can see why parents feel that pressure but I can also see why higher decile schools need fees from their parents.
"We do have a donation of $20 a year but very few parents pay it. Our kids have never missed out on an activity. We may ask parents to contribute to the cost of an activity but if they don't the school covers it.
"Of course it comes as a cost to the school. We had a drumming event [yesterday] that the school board paid $1600 for, but we get a lot more funding as a decile 1 school, compared with decile 9 and 10 schools."