Furniture and equipment funding for integrated schools

We provide funding for state-integrated schools to replace furniture and equipment, and furnish new teaching spaces we agree to integrate.

Annual furniture and equipment grant

We give state-integrated schools an annual grant to replace and modernise their existing furniture and equipment. It’s paid on 1 July each year.

How we calculate the furniture and equipment grant

The grant is a fixed percentage between 10.6% and 13.3% of the proprietor’s Policy 1 budget. The percentage amount depends on the school type.

Policy 1 is the annual grant we provide to state-integrated schools for capital maintenance – it’s calculated on the number of students at the school.

You can check how much funding your school has received in Pourato.

Pourato – Application and Online Systemsopen_in_new

How to use the grant

Your school owns any furniture and equipment it buys, and must treat it all as assets. The school board should:

  • buy the equipment (leases are not covered)
  • record the equipment as an asset in their accounting system
  • insure the equipment.

Items we classify as furniture and equipment

For funding and accounting purposes, it's important for schools to know which items to classify as furniture or equipment.

Furniture and equipment are items that can be moved and are not fixed to a building's structure. Examples include:

  • tables, desks and chairs
  • portable air conditioners
  • free-standing shelving and filing cabinets
  • woodwork benches
  • bookcases
  • metalwork lathes
  • curtain and blinds
  • whiteboards/blackboards
  • free-standing whiteware like ovens and dishwashers
  • photocopiers and printers
  • computer servers and switches
  • projectors
  • floor coverings and mats not fixed to the floor
  • heaters
  • wall TVs
  • movable play equipment.
Capital items

Capital items are assets that are considered part of a building and can't be moved. Examples of capital items are:

  • classrooms
  • portable classrooms
  • landscaping
  • footpaths
  • fixed playground equipment
  • building upgrades and fitouts
  • sealed court areas
  • water heaters
  • extractor fans
  • fixed air conditioning systems
  • fire alarm systems
  • light fittings
  • fixed fences
  • boilers
  • ICT and communications infrastructure
  • joinery
  • fixed bookcases, cupboards or wall shelving
  • fixed sink or lab benches
  • fixed floor coverings
  • security cameras (wired in)
  • change tables (fixed)
  • ovens and dishwashers (built-in).
Consumable items

Consumables are items that are likely to be expensed in the year they are bought. Examples of consumables are:

  • stationery items
  • art materials
  • computer software
  • markers, pens and dusters
  • cleaning materials
  • books
  • phones.

The flow chart below provides a visual guide to classifying items as either furniture and equipment, or capital or consumable items, and includes examples of each type to help with your decision making.

Classifying items as furniture, equipment, capital or consumable (417 KB, PDF)
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New square metre furniture and equipment funding

We provide funding so schools can furnish new teaching spaces – it’s known as ‘new square metre’ funding.

You can use the funding for:

  • new teaching spaces where the school has had an increase to their school property guide (SPG) entitlement due to an increase in the maximum roll
  • new school builds, for property that we agree to integrate.

New square metre funding is only available up to your school's SPG entitlement. If your school chooses to build more than this, you won’t receive funding for that space.

The new square metre funding excludes corridors, toilets and circulation space. It also doesn’t apply if existing floor space is being used to provide facilities at the school for the first time – for example, for building conversions.

Email us at NPS.IntegratedSchoolsProperty@schoolproperty.govt.nz to discuss whether any work you’re planning qualifies for new square metre funding.

Funding rates for regular and specialist teaching spaces

The rates for new square metre funding for furniture and equipment are:

  • regular teaching space net area rate – $160 per square metre
  • specialist teaching space net area rate – $450 per square metre.

The specialist net area rate is based on an average of all types of teaching spaces. Although fitting out some spaces – like a hard materials workshop – might cost more, the costs will average out over time.

Apply for new square metre furniture and equipment funding

Your school proprietor must complete the furniture and equipment funding calculator form and send it to us.

If we accept it, the proprietor must ask the school to prepare an invoice that they can send to us for payment. When we receive the invoice, we’ll pay the funds directly into the school's bank account.

Furniture and equipment funding calculator for integrated schools (53 KB, XLSX)
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You may be able to save money by buying your furniture and equipment through all-of-government contracts.

Buying for your school – Ministry of Educationopen_in_new

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