RRT and Qizzle Bring Essentials to Timaru South School

Many schools and families cannot afford basic stationery needs for their children to learn at school. In some regions around New Zealand, up to 80 percent of students simply don’t have the necessary stationery during school time.

The discovery of this need prompted Rapid Relief Team (RRT) to step up and make a difference for students in lower decile schools around New Zealand. In 2020 we set up our stationery program, in collaboration with Qizzle – a specialist stationery provider, to bring stationery into Kiwi classrooms.  Many schools have benefited from this program including Timaru South School.

Ben Boakes, RRT Timaru team leader, accompanied by Keziah Hammond, of Qizzle, visited Timaru South School to oversee fresh supplies of stationery, get to know the teachers and students, and immersed themselves in classroom activities.

‘The fun part was getting to be a kid all over again, and what was so delightful was the energy and enthusiasm. We were truly amazed at the excited reception from the kids,’ enthused Keziah.

The pair organised a coloring competition. ‘It was amazing to see the kids take up the challenge and see them all so eager to win and you could just tell they were really excited for us to be here,’ continued Keziah.

Ben Boakes added, ‘RRT has discovered that there is a need for children, so there is no disadvantage, and that they have the same opportunity as any other child. Students who use to stay at the back of the class in embarrassment are now set up with the tools they need to learn.’

Since we set up our stationery program in 2020, RRT has donated $70,000 of stationary supporting more than 10,722 students across 32 schools throughout New Zealand.