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• A Waikato man is outraged by Whanganui Collegiate’s $10,000 optional fee for day students.
• The fee, nearly doubled since 2020, covers access to boarding facilities and activities.
• Other integrated schools class similar payments as donations, which are eligible for tax credits.

By John Gerritsen,

A Waikato man is outraged by a $10,000 fee charged by one of the country’s most expensive integrated state schools.

Whanganui Collegiate’s optional fee covers day students' use of boarding and other facilities owned by the school’s proprietor – the Wanganui College Board of Trustees – and has nearly doubled since 2020.

The payment gives day students access to activities, including tutor support and sports events that take place in property owned by the school’s proprietor but not part of its integration agreement with the Government.

The optional charge is on top of a compulsory $2760 “attendance due” that all integrated schools are allowed to charge to cover property costs.

Craig Sinclair told RNZ six of his eight children had attended the school in recent years, and some would still be there if it were not for the fee.

He said other integrated schools asked for similar payments as a donation, which was eligible for a tax credit, and they also charged less than collegiate.

“I just want Whanganui Collegiate to have their charges similar to Rathkeale, Lindisfarne, Woodford House, all the other state integrated schools in the lower North Island, who have attendance dues and for the day kids the other contributions are via donation,” he said.

The school’s 2025 fee schedule showed day students were charged an attendance due of $2760 and an optional fee for use of boarding facilities of $10,080.

The amount requested has nearly doubled since 2020 when it was $5585 though at that time a board donation of $900 was also requested.

The school’s fees information described the charge as an optional purchase of goods and services.

It said: “Opting into non-integrated facilities for day students provides access to ‘prep’ spaces during the school day, tutor support, pastoral care support from the Health Centre, housemasters, residential masters and matrons, with House supervision during timetabled breaks.

“As an Anglican school, it contributes to our faith and chaplaincy. NIFfDS students participate in all inter-house sport and cultural competitions, co-curricular activities such as the inter-house swimming, athletics and cross-country events, house music, tikanga and other school-wide house activities. These services from the proprietor are all extra to the full learning programme provided by the school’s board and staff.”

Whanganui Collegiate headmaster Wayne Brown told RNZ in a statement the school classified the payment as an optional fee for goods and services because it covered the specific costs associated with providing, maintaining, and administering the proprietor-owned boarding facilities.

“Unlike a donation – which is given without an expectation of a direct return – this fee is directly linked to the provision of many defined services. Each year we work closely with the Ministry of Education who look at our processes. Each year our accounts, school and proprietor are fully audited.

“In practice, our families choose to pay this fee, recognising the value of the additional facilities, and services which creates our strong house culture at WCS. At WCS, we have only had one family that has not opted into our fee structure as families see the value in it. If we had families that would consider not to pay, access to these particular facilities and staff would not be provided. However, this would in no way affect the quality of the integrated education and core services that all students receive.”

Other integrated schools' fee information showed they classed similar payments as donations.

Woodford House asked day students for a $6053 “special character donation” and a building contribution of $1997.

Rathkeale College requested a tuition and tuition facilities donation of $7510 for senior students while Lindisfarne College asked for an $8700 voluntary parental contribution for facilities that were not part of the integrated school.

The act that governed integration of private schools into the state system said “financial contributions other than attendance dues shall be made on a voluntary basis and no pupil shall be refused enrolment because of the unwillingness of the parents to make such contributions”.

Advice to schools on the charges and donations they could request said schools could not “exclude students from trips or activities that are part of curriculum delivery because of their parents' inability or unwillingness to pay a requested donation”.

Education Ministry figures showed collegiate had 437 students last year – 259 boys and 178 girls. The figure included 40 international students. In 2019 it had 441 students including 58 international fee-paying students.

The school converted from private to state-integrated at the start of 2013, saving it from closure by increasing its government funding.

The Education Ministry warned at the time that parents would feel considerable pressure to make voluntary payments and that Whanganui did not need another state school.