As the cost of living continues to bite, schools in traditionally middle-income areas are seeing a rise in families who need support. Naomii Seah reports.

In most families, the early-morning hours are a whirl of activity, as parents get their kids up and themselves ready for work, then make sure teeth are clean and lunches are packed. For many teachers at Ōpaheke School in Auckland, that’s just the start of it. They’re leaving before dawn to make breakfast for students, or preparing sandwiches at home for the school’s free lunch programme.

The breakfast club is funded by donations from the school’s community, but Jade Tawhiti, tumuaki principal, says they’re struggling to keep it afloat. While those who can afford to donate are stepping up to help, finding enough money is like constantly “foraging for berries”.

Ōpaheke School is located on the outskirts of Papakura in South Auckland. Like much of the city, Ōpaheke has been transformed in recent years by a large amount of new infill housing, and the school is growing quickly.

Tawhiti says that over the past two years he’s witnessed a surge in hardship. “Often these families coming in, they’re really battling. You see signs as a teacher. Kids might sit by themselves at lunchtime, because they’ve got no lunch and they’re too whakamā [shy and proud] to say so.”

Ōpaheke School is one of the 98 schools currently on the KidsCan waitlist, most of which are from traditionally middle-income areas.

An unprecedented need

Since 2005, the KidsCan charity has been working to bring food, warm jackets and shoes to children in schools and preschools. KidsCan CEO Julie Chapman says more schools and early childhood centres than ever are identifying whānau in need. Recent increases in the cost of living have been a major factor, she says.

“There’s less money in families to go around. Families that are already stretching money to make ends meet are being pushed over the line … the need is unprecedented,” says Chapman. “When we started in 2005, I would never have thought that two decades later, we’d be supporting over a thousand schools and ECE centres.”

According to the latest statistics, one in every eight children now lives in material hardship and more than one in five children live in households where food runs out sometimes or often. Since 2022, over 23,000 tamariki have been pushed into poverty.

‘We can only do so much’

Tawhiti’s experience in Ōpaheke rings true for David, a principal at a rural North Island school who asked to stay anonymous to protect the privacy of his community. His has historically been a relatively wealthy farming community, but David says he’s seen a dramatic shift in recent years. Post-Covid, the town has experienced a huge influx of families who are “just doing it really really tough”.

A severe lack of rental housing has contributed massively to the problem, he says. With so few options, people in the town are paying up to $700 a week for a home, and it’s taking up almost their entire budget.

The ripple effects are devastating. “I see kids running around with no jersey, no jacket – their whānau can’t afford it,” he says. “We have so many kids who can’t afford warm shoes, they’re still in sandals or other shoes that just aren’t fit for purpose for winter, holes through them and stuff like that.”

Meanwhile the number of families who can’t put their kids into sport or pay for uniforms, or don’t have money for camps or trips, is increasing. David regularly has parents crying in his office asking for help – including those he had thought were doing OK. “Of course the answer is yes – but we can only do so much, which is why we’ve applied for KidsCan support.”

Hardship and barriers to education

Food, transport, housing and school costs are among the known barriers to education. As the cost of living continues to increase, so do the issues that make New Zealand’s school system one of the least equitable in the world.

“One of our big issues around attendance is actually families having no money for gas … We’ve got OK attendance, but for the kids who aren’t here, that’s one of the reasons,” says Tawhiti.

“Days in the bank of learning are so critical,” he says. “You know what it’s like when you go into work after you’ve had two or three days off, and you’re like, ‘Where the hell are we?’ and you’re scratchy and grumpy – that’s what kids are like.”

With extended absences, the problems compound. “They’re so disconnected with the class that’s when they start rarking up. So, it’s not only academic but also behavioural and social.”

One of the most publicised barriers to education recently has been food and nutrition. Although the government-run Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy Lunches in School programme aims to address the impacts of food insecurity and alleviate financial burden for low income families, research suggests that over half of children living with food insecurity are not being reached.

Almost 60% of the schools on KidsCan’s current wait list do not qualify for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme.

Ōpaheke School is currently “right in the middle” of the Equity Index, says Tawhiti, whereas food support is being targeted at the 25% of highest need schools. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a need at Ōpaheke. Along with its breakfast club for students, it runs a ‘grab ‘n’ go’ optional lunch which is partially sourced from the local high school, where unused meals from the Ka Ora, Ka Ako lunch programme are frozen and redistributed.

“No kid goes hungry at our school,” says Tawhiti. In the future, he hopes KidsCan support can ensure that remains true.

Mitigating the barriers

With the cost of living creating increasing burdens on his school community, Tawhiti believes KidsCan support would make a major difference for families.

The charity’s help is wide-ranging and tailored to schools’ needs – schools can order breakfast food, snacks, hot meals for schools who don’t receive Ka Ora, Ka Ako, shoes and socks, fleece-lined jackets for the whole roll, and health products.

“KidsCan support would mean kids don’t miss out. The little things – shoes, a raincoat, food – make a big difference. Life’s tough enough. If parents know their kids can get the basic stuff guaranteed, it’s less of a scramble for survival each week. One less hurdle for families. And it will help our school too.”

David, whose school is also on KidsCan’s waitlist, says blanket support is crucial. “How do we meet the need when people are whakamā and they don’t say anything, they just battle on? The need is so much that we’re definitely missing people. That’s where KidsCan could help, just that blanket support.”

Given the record number of schools on the waitlist, KidsCan is currently undertaking an urgent appeal, backed by their Principal Partner, Meridian Energy. The charity has seen a recent decline in donations as regular donors are also impacted by the cost of living, a situation which Chapman describes as “the perfect storm”.

“But the people that can should get behind us,” Chapman urges.

“With the right support, kids can flourish at school – and every child deserves that chance.”