[KiwiHopeful]

All we needed to do was bring our passports and a copy of our rental agreement to register our son for school. Since he was a new entrant (year 0), there were no supplies or stationary to buy, as it is provided for them. The only thing we've paid for were his swim lessons ($20 for two weeks) and of course we had to buy his uniform.

I hope my post didn't come off as accusing you of being elitist ... that wasn't my intention at all, as I reread it I think it could have been read that way. I was just expressing my chagrin at the attitude I've encountered here in Chch--people seem to confuse decile with quality. While I'm sure that is sometimes true, it seems to be more important at the high school level rather than the elementary level.