• New Zealand Regions
      • Hawke's Bay
      • Bay of Plenty
      • Waikato
      • Whanganui
      • Manawatu
      • Northland
      • Auckland
      • Gisborne
      • Taranaki
      • Wellington
      • West Coast
      • Nelson
      • Canterbury
      • Otago
      • Marlborough
      • Southland
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      Hawke's Bay

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      Beaches, wineries and Art Deco. The Hawke's Bay has a diverse economy, including business services that support its sectors to be the second largest contributor to regional GDP in the country. A popular tourist destination, the region has some of the countries best restaurants as well as stunning scenery, markets and festivals.

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      Bay of Plenty

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      The Bay of Plenty is officially New Zealand's sunniest destination, enjoying short-lived winters and long summer days. The Region offers some of the country's most spectacular views and many ways to enjoy the pristine scenery and natural wonders. Visitors also enjoy exploring the Bay's Māori heritage and pre-European roots.

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      OpotikiOpotiki iSiteKawerauWhakatane

      Waikato

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      The Waikato is known for its rolling plains, fertile land and the mighty Waikato River. The region is the fourth largest regional economy in New Zealand, with a strong focus on primary production and associated manufacturing.

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      South WaikatoWaikato District

      Whanganui

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      Welcome to Whanganui. This is our place; where history is full of stories, legends and rich legacy. Where a thriving arts scene, creativity and evolving culture inspire our modern lives. Where breath-taking natural landscapes capture imaginations at every turn.

      Manawatu

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      Located in the lower North Island, Manawatu is heartland New Zealand, offering an authentic Kiwi experience.

      The main in the region are Palmerston North, most notable for Massey University. Palmerston has a vibrant, arts and culture scene.

      The region's economy is based on food production and processing, research and education. The region is also home for the New Zealand defence force.

      Northland

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      Northland was originally home to some of our country's first human inhabitants. Today, it is one of the fastest growing regions in New Zealand and home to nearly 189,000 people. Rich in culture and history, the region boasts a stunning natural environment.

      Auckland

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      Auckland Region stretches from the the beaches of the Pacific Ocean in the east to the expansive beaches of the rugged west coast of the Tasman Sea. Auckland City, the largest urban area in New Zealand is considered the main economic center of New Zealand and a popular destination for international students and travellers.

      Gisborne

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      Gisborne is a Region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. It's known for wineries and surf beaches such as Makorori. The region has maintained a strong Maori heritage. The region's economy is made up mainly of agriculture, horticulture and forestry.

      Taranaki

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      Taranaki is a coastal and mountainous region on the western side of New Zealand's North Island. Its landscape is dominated by Mount Taranaki, its namesake volcano, which lies within the rainforested Egmont National Park.

      The port city of New Plymouth is the area's cultural and commercial hub. Taranaki's economy is diverse and includes dairy, oil and gas. The region is the highest contributor or national GDP per capita. 

      Wellington

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      The Wellington Region covers Wellington city in the south, Upper and Lower Hutt valleys to the north-east, and Porirua to the north-west. The region takes its name from Wellington, New Zealand's capital city.

      Wellington is famous for its arts and culture scene and is also the centre of New Zealand's film industry.

      West Coast

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      The West Coast, or as some locals call it, the "Wild West", is a long thin region that runs down the South Island's west coast.

      The region has the lowest population in all of New Zealand. It is famous for its rugged natural scenery such as the Pancake Rocks, the Blue Pools of Haast, and the glaciers.

      The main industries in the region are dairy farming and mining. Tourism also plays an important role.

      Nelson – Tasman

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      Nelson Tasman is an extraordinary, vibrant region where art and businesses thrive together among a stunning natural landscape. With one in five people internationally born, Nelson Tasman has 48 different cultures living in its environs.

      The region prides its self on being New Zealand’s leading Research and Development areas, with the highest proportion of people working in the research, science and tech sectors out of anywhere in New Zealand.

      Canterbury

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      Canterbury is a region on New Zealand’s South Island marked by grassy plains, clear lakes and snow-capped mountains. Its largest city, Christchurch, is famed for its art scene and green spaces.

      Otago

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      There are few places in the world which will leave you with a lasting sense of difference. Central Otago is undoubtedly one of them from its landscapes, its seasons, its people, its products and experiences.

      Marlborough

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      Marlborough Region is on the north-eastern corner of the South Island. The region is well known for its winemaking industry, and the Marlborough Sounds, an extensive network of coastal waterways, peninsulas and islands.

      Apart from the wine industry, aquaculture, agriculture and tourism play an important role in the local economy.

      Southland

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      Southland is New Zealand’s most southerly region and includes the World Heritage ranked Fiordland National Park.

      The region's only city Invercargill offers a relaxed pace of life with wide streets, little traffic, spacious parks and gardens, striking Victorian and Edwardian architecture and impressive sporting facilities including New Zealand’s first indoor velodrome. Southland's location is such that views of Aurora Australis or the Southern Lights are common.

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More schools sign up to donation-replacement scheme next year

Attention: This article was automatically translated and is still waiting on one of our editors to approve the translated content. 
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More schools have signed up to the government’s donation scheme for 2021 leaving just 99 eligible schools outside the scheme next year.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins said 45 schools were opting into the scheme for the first time next year and five that were in it this year were leaving in 2021.

The scheme introduced this year paid schools in deciles 1-7 $150 per student if they agreed not to ask parents for donations.

Hipkins said of the 1763 eligible schools, 1662 would be in the scheme next year, and 99 would not.

Among those leaving the scheme next year was Spotswood College in New Plymouth.

The school’s principal, Nicola Ngarewa, said the college was worse off by about $100,000 a year in the scheme and that was not tenable.

She said the school was disadvantaged because it was growing quickly and payments from the donation programme were based on the previous year’s enrolments.

“We’re in a roll growth situation so that means that we’re about a 100 students down on what we’re being paid for and what we’ve got on site, so that’s problematic.”

In addition, and more significantly, schools in the scheme could not ask parents for voluntary contributions for course costs.

“We just couldn’t afford to keep the courses running that we needed for our young people.”

Meanwhile, Lynfield College in Auckland had opted to join the scheme next year after remaining outside it this year.

The school’s principal, Cath Knell, said the school had been unsure how the scheme would treat its large number of adult students, and about the impact on payments for course costs and trips.

But she said it had now become clear the school’s community had been badly affected by the economic downturn.

“Our families are hurting as a consequence of Covid,” she said.

“Our percentage of donations paid has dropped from around 60 percent to less than 40 percent and we can’t guarantee that we’re going to get that income.”

Knell said it was hard to estimate how much better or worse off the school might be financially, but the school would have less flexibility once it was in the scheme.

“Dollar value, we would be better off, but when you remove the purchase of workbooks and the ability to be able to go on trips, that’s going to increase the budget that is required to be able to deliver some programmes, so we are hoping to at least break even,” she said.

Hipkins said the government would look at the reasons the five schools had opted out of the programme.

“We will spend a little bit of time understanding what’s caused those who were previously in to opt out and we’ll see whether any refinements to the scheme need to be made based on that.”

He said more schools had joined the scheme than left it, and he suspected the pandemic might be a contributing factor.

“In the Covid-19 environment, the extra revenue sources that schools might have had are starting to dry up. Parents aren’t in the position to make the donations they’ve been making in the past,” he said.

He said that might also be a problem for schools in deciles 8, 9 and 10, which were not eligible for the scheme.

“We will be looking very closely at what the actual revenue patterns are for schools who aren’t part of the scheme to look at whether or not they are significantly disadvantaged as a result of the economic downturn,” he said.

“If we do see that they are losing significant amounts of revenue from less donations from parents, then obviously we’ll take that into consideration.”

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