School uniform prices: Parents forced to wear a hefty cost
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
New year, new school, sad-looking bank balance.
School uniforms are meant to be the great leveller, but as the cost of living crunch bites increasing numbers of Kiwi parents are crying foul at the cost of having to kit out their kids.
Dad of three, Gamaliel Ramos Oliver, in an op-ed for The Post likened the compulsory aspect of dressing for school to patching up for gang membership, having forked out nearly $600 for his daughter’s uniform.
Parents, he says, are being forced into impossible choices; sacrificing essentials to hunt down second-hand alternatives. Groceries or uniforms. Power bill or polo shirt.
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One of those parents notes that at their high school, “female students are required to wear impossibly white tops: expensive, see-through when wet, and accompanied by the rule that only ‘flesh-coloured’ bras may be worn.
“Add a costly cardigan and a vertically striped blazer more at home on Sydney’s North Shore, and the result is less tradition than costume. Parent concerns have been acknowledged, with no change.”
Another said uniform affordability was hurting a broad decile of households and suggested schools should carry a wardrobe of school blazers they could loan out, “for starters. They're very expensive and in most schools, seldom used”.
In New Zealand, school boards are self-governing and have responsibility for decisions about school uniforms.
Elsewhere, however, governments are stepping in to help, something Education Minister Erica Stanford confirmed she was aware of.
'It's [up to] individual schools to make sure that school uniforms are affordable for families, and it's my expectation that they do that,“ she told The Post on Tuesday.
“I have noticed that other countries are moving in that direction, and it's certainly something I'll take a look at.'
In the UK new guidance from the Department of Education says the cost of school uniforms should not be more than 5% of a family’s monthly income, while, from this year, state schools in Victoria in Australia are required to offer non-branded options for pants, shorts, skirts, and socks.
In Northern Ireland, the education minister has an “enabling power” to cap uniform costs and schools must explain the reasons for uniform prices.
Kenyan President William Ruto last week promised his government would work with parents, school administrations, manufacturers and other stakeholders to agree on reforms that lowered the cost of uniforms and eliminated practices that exploit parents.
“We must not erect additional impediments to access to education,” he said, stressing that schooling should focus on learning outcomes rather than appearance.
The Post has looked at the cost of dressing college-age students at state schools in the three main cities.
Christchurch Girls’ High School uses Mainland Uniforms as its main supplier, although the PTA also runs a second-hand uniform shop.
For a full uniform including a regulation cotton dress ($99.95), blouse, blazer ($200, braiding $60) and kilt ($140) CGHS parents will need to stump up around $650 which doesn’t include the regulation sports top and shorts, socks or tights, or shoes. And none of the optional extras such as scarf or shell jacket.
Parents of Year 9 and 10 pupils at Wellington College will have to dig even deeper with the cost of a basic uniform (one shirt, one pair of socks) hitting closer to $1000.
Topping the list is the school’s monogrammed blazer at $260, followed by a college jacket ($130), jersey ($125), and pants ($115). Shorts are $85, a basic white shirt $50, a PE shirt $60 and school socks $18 a pair.
New Zealand Uniforms supplies Wellington Girls’ College. Its blazers are $290, while a pinafore costs $140 and a skirt $110. Jerseys and cardigans are both priced at $115, while a long sleeve blouse is $55.
Mt Albert Grammar in Auckland has far fewer items among its uniform must-haves, with Year 9 to 12 boys wearing regulation shorts or trousers ($65-$71.50), a jersey ($110), polo shirt ($40), PE top ($45.50) and shorts ($35.50) and long socks ($14.50).
Compulsory items for Year 13 girls ‒ that’s a jersey, skirt, blazer and blouse‒would cost a total $281.40 according to its supplier, The Uniform Shoppe, which manufactures clothing for 65 schools across the country.
Auckland Girls’ Grammar has a reasonably short list of compulsory items, all of which need to be purchased from the school’s uniform supplier, the nation-wide U Shop.
They include a blazer ($170), short or long-sleeved blouse ($50-$55), a skirt or trousers (between $63 and $94 dependent on style and length) and PE gear for juniors.
All students at Auckland Grammar School are required to wear regulation navy shorts or pants, long-sleeved shirt, socks and garters, a monogrammed pullover, and for Forms 3 and 4 branded PE gear. Purchased from the school shop a basic wardrobe of one of each item adds up to around $350.
The figures are for the most basic of wardrobes. Additional costs for other necessities such as shoes, belts, wet weather gear and bags also need to be factored in by families setting their kids up for the new school year.