Family Works Central Otago financial mentor Sandra O’Neill said the price of everything had gone up but wages had not risen accordingly and that was something that affected everyone.
The cost of rent and food had increased so much that those things alone were taking more than some people earned.
"It is showing that the base needs are ... out of reach, so therefore the other things are getting missed," she said.
The cost of school was just one more thing that added to people’s stress.
She had clients who were concerned about being able to buy school uniforms.
One of her tips was to build a uniform based on the bare minimum, which was usually a top and shorts or a skirt.
Additional uniform items, like jerseys, could be bought later, she said.
Looking at second-hand shops or talking on parents’ groups on social media was another option she suggested.
Buying books and lunches were also causing pressure.
School was very expensive and needed to be budgeted for, Ms O’Neill said.
Anyone who was struggling should talk to their school as they might have support available to help minimise the financial stress of getting children ready for the year, such as setting up an automatic payment to the school within a pay cycle.
"A little bit goes a long way if it’s done on a regular basis and you’re not going to get those huge statements from the school."
A bit-by-bit approach to buying books also worked, she said.
University of Otago public health lecturer Dr Johanna Reidy said it was time for a rethink about school uniforms, their role and their makeup.
Uniforms should encourage school attendance, not be a barrier to it.
It was important to remember uniforms were instituted in the first place to make access to education easier for students who generally didn’t have much.
"But when you start to have the cost of uniforms stopping kids getting to school, we need to think about what we can do to step in."
Dr Reidy had been involved in research which showed uniforms had a positive effect on education and health but needed to be less complex as a way of reducing cost.
"Currently, low-income families have to take out what are essentially loans from Work and Income. This then places pressure on these families to survive on less income while paying back the loans."
A school uniform could cost between $80 and $1200 for one child. In the United Kingdom, school uniform items had to be available from any shop, not just specific retailers. In New Zealand, the government could establish a national uniform bulk buyer similar to the national drug-buying agency Pharmac, she said.
Schools needed to check their uniform still served pupil and community needs, including the number and cost of compulsory items such as blazers.
"One thing that communities could do is use the tools that they’ve got, make sure they get a good deal from their suppliers, have a conversation within the community about whether the uniform has to be as complicated as it is, just to bring that price down to something that is more manageable."
— Ella Jenkins
