Guy Pascoe: Independent Schools of New Zealand CEO on more colleges than ever charging $30,000-plus in tuition

In an investigation of all New Zealand private schools the NZ Herald found that more colleges than ever are charging $30,000-plus in tuition fees with an average 4.2% tuition rise this year, the smallest increase in three years.

Independent Schools of New Zealand CEO Guy Pascoe told Mike Hosking the jump in fees can be attributed to rising cost of living, but that hasn't impacted tuition numbers.

"We still see pretty strong demand across our schools," he said. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cost of private schooling, by the way, reaching new levels.
So we've got more colleges crashing through the thirty thousand
dollars a year barrier. Top ten all over the threshold
these days. Christ College in christ Church fees up five
percent to thirty five nine hundred. Let's call it thirty
six thousand, shall we. Guy Pasco is the CEO of
the Independent Schools of New Zealand and as with us, Guy,
I'm morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Sure might shoe take me on? Not at all.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
See, I don't know whether this is bad or not,
because if you look at Sydney, it's fifty to fifty five,
So thirty to thirty five seems like a bargain, doesn't it.
Is it a bargain or not?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, I mean, Oliver, there's up up to pearents who decide, Mike.
You know, we feel obviously that our schools are a
fantastic job and parents obviously feel that as well. But
that's not to say there's great things happening in the
state system as well.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
What's it based on when you say five percent? Is
that a cost of living thing or is that what
parents will tolerate or a bit of both.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Well, schools I think are very conscious about affordability. It
can't to keep their fee increases as low as possible,
but they're not immune to the same inflationary presses everyone
in New Zealand is experiencing. And with little in the
way of government support, they don't have much choice to
pass some of those costs on to families.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
And in passing that on, does it affect demand at
all or not?

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Well, we still see pretty strong demand across our schools.
I mean, it's that they have around four percent of
the population go to independent schools. It's a bit higher
and aukmand at around six percent, and there was about
a two percent growth across our member schools last year,
so there is still high demand.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
And is there a direct connection or a greater connection
the more you pay, Does the connection get enhanced as
to expectation around service and result or not.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
That's a difficult one for me to so. I mean, certainly,
you know, parents are choosing independent schools for a wide
range of reasons, and high academic outcomes might be one
of those, but also there's a or other range of
reasons as well, so small class sizers or a particular
curriculum or educational philosophy, or maybe it's because their children

(02:08):
have got specific learning.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Neat interesting all right, Guy, I appreciated Guy Pesco Independent
Schools of New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
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