Back-to-school costs bite
Teen pays for own uniform as parents struggle with school expenses.
As kids go back to school this week, parents are grappling with the high costs of uniforms, stationery and other fees.
But one 16-year-old Hastings Girls’ High student decided to take the burden off her mum, using her pocket money to pay for her uniform.
Flaxmere mother-of-two Cherie Naera said her daughter, Georgia, recently returned home and told her she had been fitted for her new school uniform earlier that day.
When Naera asked her how much it was going to cost, Georgia’s response was: “I’ve paid for it, you don’t have to worry about it.”
The uniform was $200, excluding the shoes, which Georgia also paid for.
“I didn’t want to go home and make Mum pay for something I’m only going to wear for a year, and she pays for so much already.”
Georgia, who works part-time at the local library, said her mother wanted to refund the costs.
Naera said she felt awful when Georgia told her what she had done.
“It’s not her responsibility but it came at a time when one of our lovely old cats was very, very ill.
“We were over-burdened with vet bills, I think she knew that as well.
“It came at a time when I couldn’t say, ‘Oh, for goodness sake I’ll give you back the money, type of thing.’ and backpack to have their clothing
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● Pack a lunchbox vegetables, whole including fruit, to last the day — and protein grains, dairy products uniform has a second-hand
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● Health experts per night for and 8-10 hours school-age children, teens are voluntary payments Remember, donations
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● Parents on a benefit for some Work and Income for assistance from school costs
“It was quite hard because I really wanted to put that money straight back in her account,” Naera said.
Hawkes Bay Today yesterday revealed one family had set aside $1000 to cover the cost of sending their youngest son — a new entrant in 2018 — to school.
That included a uniform, stationery, a Chromebook and a bike to get him to and from school.
Meanwhile, a survey has revealed back-to-school costs vary wildly around the country.
It found nearly a third of parents in Auckland spent up to $400 on back-to-school costs, whereas in Otago more than half spent less than $100.
Nearly half of those surveyed said the cost of new books, stationery and otherclassroom necessities had a significant impact on the family budget.
Just under 1000 parents were surveyed by Buzz Channel on behalf of Warehouse Stationery, and 29 per cent said stumping up for school basics was stressful.
Slightly more than a third of Kiwi parents spend $100-$200 on school supplies, and 16 per cent spend more than $300. of Education — Source: Ministry
Parents in Auckland spent the most, with 31 per cent spending $200$400, and those in Otago spent the least, with 54 per cent spending less than $100.
The findings come a week after the Australian Scholarships Group study revealed the cost of a private-school education has soared to $360,074 over a child’s school career — almost 10 times the cost of a state school.
The ASG survey found the expected lifetime cost of a privateschool education for a child born this year, including uniforms, computers and travel as well as fees, had jumped by $14,000 since last year.
In contrast, the lifetime cost of putting a child through the state system has dropped by $135 to $38,227.
Warehouse Stationery chief executive Pejman Okhovat said equipping children to go back to school could be a stressful time for families, “particularly with the time and cost pressures associated with Christmas and school holidays”.
The stationery chain recently made donations of more than $60,000 to the Salvation Army to help support low income families struggling with back-to-school costs.