Paying for school camp

Planning guide

Start with the camp cost and what families can afford. Combine a few manageable fundraisers instead of one risky event.

Make a plan

  1. Ask the school for the total cost, payment dates and available hardship support.
  2. Set a shared target and decide privately how support will be allocated.
  3. Choose pre-orders or regular small sales, then add one event only if helpers can manage it.
  4. Track net money after costs and update families before each payment date.

Ideas to use

  • Pie fundraiser

    Take paid pre-orders for pies, samosas or other frozen food. Your group keeps the supplier margin and organises a safe delivery and collection day.

  • Bake sale

    Families bake at home and the group sells slices, biscuits and cakes at school, an event or outside a store.

  • Raffle

    Sell numbered paper tickets for fixed prizes, then draw the winners. Choose a small class raffle, a headline prize, hampers, donated prizes or an event-night raffle.

Details for your plan

These notes and sources were checked in October 2026. Check current costs, eligibility and official rules before committing money.

School camp fund

Close the gap between what a curriculum camp costs and what families can give: a voluntary camp donation, targeted fundraisers, grants and a quiet hardship pool so no child misses out.

  1. Cost the camp per child: transport, accommodation, food, activities, relievers.
  2. Decide the voluntary donation to ask, and say clearly it is optional and no child will miss out.
  3. Set a fundraising target for the gap between total cost and expected donations.
  4. Pick 2-3 fundraisers the camp cohort can run (a spellathon, a pre-order product, a stall at the gala).
  5. Apply to community trusts or gaming trusts for transport or activity costs well before the camp.
  6. Hold a confidential hardship pool managed by the principal or office; point families to Variety's Kiwi Kid Sponsorship.
  7. Offer payment plans through the school portal.
  8. Bank all money in school accounts; credit fundraising to the cohort, not to individual children (estimate).
  9. After camp, report income and costs to families and roll any surplus to the next cohort.

Tips

  • Subsidised camps exist: The Kind Foundation offers reduced packages for low-decile schools (RNZ).
  • Ask the camp provider about free places for parent helpers; Piha Campgrounds does not charge teachers or helpers (RNZ).
  • Southbridge School asked $115 for a Year 5 camp in 2026 by keeping it local (Southbridge School, via Hail).

Watch out for

  • Calling a curriculum camp 'fee' or 'compulsory' breaks MoE rules and erodes trust.
  • Crediting fundraising to individual children turns a voluntary donation into a de facto fee (estimate).
  • Leaving grant applications too late; trusts often decide months out.

Rules and permissions

  • An overnight camp that is part of the curriculum (e.g. Year 7 EOTC camp, Year 9 orientation camp) can only be asked for as a donation, which families may pay in full, in part or not at all (Ministry of Education, 'D' category).
  • No student can be excluded from a curriculum camp for not paying (Ministry of Education; Education Counts).
  • Schools in the school donations scheme may still ask for donations for overnight camps, but not for day trips (Ministry of Education). The scheme pays $165.95 (excl GST) per student to schools with an Equity Index of 432 or more that opt in (Education Counts).
  • Optional, extra-curricular trips (e.g. a weekend ski trip) can be charged as a fee (Ministry of Education).
  • Camp donations may qualify for an IRD donation tax credit; families need a donation receipt (Ministry of Education).
  • EOTC safety planning applies to the camp itself, not the fund (Ministry of Education EOTC guidelines; estimate).

Sources: education.govt.nz, education.govt.nz, educationcounts.govt.nz, rnz.co.nz, variety.org.nz, kidscan.org.nz, schoolcamps.co.nz, reddit.com

Promote it and collect the money

Getting the word out helps you ask for helpers and reach buyers. Use Taking the money to plan payments and safe counting.

* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide