Attendance Dues
While the Government meets the ownership costs (land and buildings) of state schools from general taxation, the Catholic Church has to meet the ownership costs of its schools from those who attend them.
So in order to meet costs, each diocese is legally able to charge a fee to parents and caregivers of children at Catholic schools. This represents the share of the overall costs each year of continuing to provide a Catholic school option for children in New Zealand. This is known as an Attendance Due.
Attendance dues are collected by the Dunedin Diocese on behalf of the Bishop. This is not administered by the school. There are various options for payment.
The Bishops of this Diocese have consistently said that: “No one from a Catholic family is to be denied access to a Catholic education due to inability to pay”. In cases of difficulty talk to your parish priest or school principal, they can talk through your situation and help find options that match your circumstances.