School Fees & Payments

We would firstly like to acknowledge those families that have fully paid all school fees, and also chosen to pay the voluntary school donation, as this makes a huge difference to what we are able to offer at school.

Asking for money is not an aspect of our role that we enjoy; yet it is crucial to ensure that we can provide the very best for your children.

Kindo allows families to make part-payments throughout the year, which we hope makes it easier for parents, and we also have the school Manaaki fund.

Background: Te Ao Mārama School was previously classified as a decile 10 school (top 10% of schools in high socio-economic areas). While deciles have been phased out, we now have an equity index rating that also greatly affects our Government funding.

Te Ao Mārama School receives $500,000 less than some schools per year based on the equity index (based on our current roll). This amount would almost double our Government funding.

School Donations: We want to provide our children with the full benefits of extensive resources, additional learning programmes and special opportunities that we can all be very proud of. This can only be achieved with your support.

The school donations are currently set at $140 for the first child, $120 for the second child, with a maximum of $330 for a family.

School donations are voluntary, but we would be highly appreciative of any payment.

This donation is tax deductible and a 1/3 can be claimed back from the IRD. The IR526 form is downloadable from the IRD website.

In 2022/2023 school donation funds have been used to purchase sports gear, reading resources, music and art equipment, & additional learning assistant support.

Other Fees: The only compulsory fee we ask for is the Student Activity Contribution of $45 per student (full year).

The activity contribution goes towards the costs of equipment, experiences e.g. shows and concerts, and services that are extra to the school’s curriculum obligations. It also goes towards curriculum-based activities that involve a “take-home” component for your child to keep, or potentially eat at school.

Please work with us to ensure that Te Ao Mārama School can continue to provide a quality education to all students.

Yours sincerely,

Te Ao Mārama School Board