College chops sports fees for a year
Director of sport’s celebration year goal is taking shape
Waiopehu College is making all sporting activities fee-free for students next year in celebration of its golden jubilee. It was the brainchild of the school’s director of sport Matthew Good, who had worked hard for the last two years to see the project through.
Good had wanted to mark the school’s 50th anniversary by having no generic fees or costs attached to any sporting activities or travel outside of normal tournament weeks.
It would benefit not just students and their families, but also the wider community, he said.
“With sport participation numbers down compared to pre-Covid times all over New Zealand, I hope that with this announcement, we will start to grow our participation numbers once again as well as keeping families’ hard-earned money firmly in their pockets,” he said.
Good had managed to raise more than $20,000 in business sponsorships and was on the hunt for more.
“I have also agreed with three regional sporting organisations that they will reduce our entry fees by 50 per cent per team which will save us thousands, as well as securing a Kiwi sport grant which will cover all sporting travel for the year.”
Good had also raised more than $40,000 through different agencies to purchase new sporting uniforms
With sport participation numbers down compared to pre-Covid times all over New Zealand, I hope that with this announcement, we will start to grow our participation numbers once again as well as keeping families’ hardearned money firmly in their pockets. Matthew Good
for all teams. The new uniforms are designed by Good and a student artist, Morehu Tauru, who has designed a tohu called ‘Te Ho¯kioi’ and has gifted his design to the school for its 50th year.
Te Ho¯kioi — Whakaete Turanga Rau translated to the future is full of potential, which he said was fitting for a celebration year.
Good shared the news of the fees with the students during an assembly
earlier this term.
“I’m delighted to provide this opportunity for all our students in what will be an unbelievable year.
“The only thing that can stop sport at a local grassroots level is affordability, so to be able to completely remove this barrier when so many of our community and wha¯ nau are battling with the cost of living crisis is massive,” he said.
“I have been working on this project for nearly two years now with this celebration year in mind. I’ve been lucky that we have so many amazing local businesses who have helped contribute in sponsoring this
project. I am extremely grateful.”
“We are still on the lookout for any other businesses that are keen to be involved . . . ”
Good wanted to thank those sponsors and sporting organisations involved.