What: I believe that making ties optional for day-to-day school and mandatory for formal occasions will have a positive impact on our students.

Why: There are many reasons why I believe that ties should become an optional part of our school uniform here at SCC. These reasons include the racist and patriarchal history of ties, as well as the voice of the students and why ties are already on their way out here at SCC.

In 2021, Rawiri Waititi (co-leader of the Māori Party), called upon a rule change regarding wearing ties in Parliament. He described them as a ‘colonial noose’ after being kicked out for wearing a hei tiki instead of a tie. Parliament subsequently changed its rules and ties are now optional in the debating chamber. Ties are a product of colonisation and making them a mandatory part of the uniform here at SCC is not only problematic, but damaging. We are a school that prides itself on our cultural diversity and yet we still have this piece of clothing that is inherently colonial. In the words of Rawiri Waititi, “It’s not about ties, it’s about cultural identity”.

Neckties also have a history of sexism and oppression. Traditionally worn by men, ties have been a symbol of power and dominance for hundreds of years. An ad from 1951 shows the tie as a symbol of oppression against women.

Mandatory ties force our students to be part of a male-centric worldview.

The students here at SCC are the most affected by this out-dated rule so I asked them what they thought of having to wear a tie. I sent a survey out and 124 students responded.

• Only 18.5% of students always like wearing a tie to school, with 50% liking it sometimes and 31.5% who never like wearing a tie.

• Despite that, 68.5% of students still wear their tie everyday, with 31.5% either wearing it sometimes or never.

• Most students agreed that they would wear a tie at formal occasions if it was optional the rest of the time.

I also left a space for students to voice their opinions about ties. Six left a comment in favour of keeping ties mandatory, however these were far outweighed by the responses of around 45 other students who asked for ties to become optional. A few students raised the issue of how the current long sleeve shirts look without the tie. If it is possible, I think that having a long sleeve shirt with the same collar as the summer shirts would be a good solution to this problem, like the one pictured below. It’s still possible to wear a tie with these shirts.

From this survey, I think that it is clear that the clear decision is to make ties optional.

Ties don’t help us learn, I would even argue that they can hinder some students' learning if they are too uncomfortable. Making ties optional solves these issues.

Conclusion: Making ties optional is a small rule change that won’t cost the school at all but will have a positive impact on students. I propose that we make ties mandatory at formal occasions, such as Mass, assembly and prize giving and optional at all other times. This would have a positive impact on students because it would show that the school really cares about the student’s voice. It would also show that SCC rejects an item of clothing closely linked to sexism and colonialism.

Ties are an unnecessary adornment that is outdated and uncomfortable and shouldn’t be mandatory for SCC students.

Ngā mihi,

Ella Cessford

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