- Calculating vandalism funding
- Using vandalism funding
- Getting vandalism top-up funding
- Applying for funding after a major vandalism event
- Changes to your vandalism risk category
- Reducing vandalism
Calculating vandalism funding
In the school Property Occupancy Document (POD) , vandalism is defined as “wilful damage to or loss of any part of the school site, buildings or other facilities, excluding arson and normal wear and tear”.
Each year you receive funding to manage vandalism. The amount depends on which vandalism risk category your school is in. Your risk category is based on the average vandalism costs for your school in the past.
The funding is included in your operational funding each year. Your Grant Advice Notice will tell you the amount.
For more information on the Grant Advice Notice, go to Vandalism funding .
Vandalism risk categories
The 5 vandalism risk categories are ranked from A (lowest risk) to E (highest risk). The funding you receive is the mid-point amount within your category, multiplied by the number of your students.
These funding rates are adjusted for inflation each year.
The table below shows the current vandalism rates.
Current vandalism rates
| Vandalism risk category | Funding range based on average historic vandalism costs | Funding rate per student (mid-point) | Upper limit (per student) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | $0 – $7.28 | $3.64 | $7.28 |
| B | $7.29 – $14.53 | $10.91 | $14.53 |
| C | $14.54 – $21.86 | $18.20 | $21.86 |
| D | $21.87 – $29.03 | $25.45 | $29.03 |
| E | $29.04 + | $29.08 | $29.12 |
If your vandalism costs go over the mid-point, you have to meet the difference, up to the upper limit.
Vandalism funding examples
- Kiwi Park Primary School has 75 students and is in category B. It received $818.25 ($10.91 x 75) in vandalism funding in 2014. Its vandalism costs for that year were $1000 to paint over graffiti on an entire wall of the hall. The school’s ‘upper limit’ is $1089.75 ($14.53 x 75). The school must pay $181.75 ($1000 – $818.25) out of its operational funding.
- Kiwi Park Secondary School has 127 students and is in category A. It received $462.28 ($3.64 x 127) in vandalism funding in 2014. Its vandalism costs for that year were $1000 to repair smashed windows throughout a block. The school’s ‘upper limit’ is $924.56 ($7.28 x 127). The school must pay $462.28, which is the difference between the mid-point and upper limit. But it can get top-up funding
top-up fundingof $75.44, which is the amount it cost to fix the windows over the upper limit.
Using vandalism funding
Repair work for vandalism damage must:
- be carried out immediately, and
- comply with Ministry standards .
You can use vandalism funding to repair:
- arson damage if it costs less than $2500 to repair
- deliberately broken windows or etching on windows
- damage to walls and buildings from graffiti, but only the area with the graffiti, not the rest of the wall or building
- damage to a CCTV camera, but only if it is attached to a building
- damage to fences
- stolen spouting, as it is likely to have been damaged when it was ripped off
- damage to trees that are part of the school site
- damage to a Ministry-funded playground
- damage to Ministry-funded artificial turf
- water damage from taps being deliberately left on
- damage to school property by hit-and-run drivers.
You can only use the funding to repair buildings and facilities that the Ministry owns.
The following table lists items that you cannot use your vandalism funding for. It also shows other funding sources you may use to pay to repair such damage.
Types of damage that vandalism funding does not cover
| Type of damage | Funding source |
|---|---|
| Arson damage costing over $2500 to repair | School Building Insurance Funding Programme |
| A caretaker’s time for painting over/cleaning off graffiti or fixing other damage | Operational funding for the wages of the caretaker as a board employee |
| Damage to desks, chairs or electronic whiteboards, refilling fire extinguishers let off | Your school’s contents insurance or the School Building Insurance Programme, which should cover these furniture and equipment items |
| Private cars damaged on school site | This should be covered by the owners’ car insurance |
| Accidental damage (not wilfully caused) | Your school’s contents insurance or the School Building Insurance Programme, depending on the damage involved |
| Normal wear and tear | Maintenance funding |
| Security guards or callouts | Operational funding. Go to Security management for more information about security systems |
| Installing new fencing or CCTV camera to keep vandals out | 5 Year Agreement Funding (5YA) |
| Damage to buildings or facilities not owned by the Ministry. Buildings on school sites are sometimes owned by a third party community group or the board | Damage should be covered by the owner’s insurance |
Getting vandalism top-up funding
If your vandalism costs go over your upper limit, you can get top-up funding.
To work out how much additional funding you can claim, download the Vandalism top-up calculator .
To use the vandalism top-up calculator, enter:
- your profile number
- the calendar year for which you want to claim top-up funding
- the amount of each individual invoice for vandalism costs (including GST)
- any money you have been able to recover for each vandalism event, such as payment by a student who broke a window
- your school’s total roll
- your vandalism risk category
- the amount you paid up to the upper limit.
The calculator will work out:
- total funding – the Ministry’s contribution plus your contribution to meet the upper limit
- vandalism expenses – the total of all vandalism invoices
- top-up funding – the amount you can claim reimbursement for over the upper limit.
We consider top-up claims throughout the year. You can either:
- make a claim for one vandalism event, or
- add them up and make one claim for the year – you will need to submit this claim by mid-June for reimbursement that year.
Applying for funding after a major vandalism event
If there is a major vandalism event at your school and the repair costs will be well over your upper limit, you can apply to the Ministry for funding immediately after the event. You need to provide:
- copies of invoices to fix the damage (including GST)
- an estimate of the costs if the damage is not yet fixed
- a detailed Police report
- your analysis of the event, including any background information that sheds light on what happened.
Contact your local Ministry office to:
- ask if we will meet the excess costs
- find out about temporary accommodation where buildings are too damaged to use
- decide whether the school should be moved to a higher vandalism risk category.
The extra costs will be met if either:
- the cost of that one event is above your upper limit, or
- the cost of that event, combined with vandalism expenses you have already had to pay during the year, will put you over the upper limit.
Changes to your vandalism risk category
We will reassess your school’s vandalism risk category if you have:
- experienced a general increase in vandalism, and
- exceeded your vandalism funding for 3 consecutive years.
To be reassessed, you need to provide us with a record of your vandalism costs for the last 3 years. We will only consider your request if you are taking action to reduce your vandalism costs, like installing security systems.
If you wish for your school to be reassessed to a lower risk category, discuss this with your local office.
Reducing vandalism
You can take a number of steps to reduce vandalism and other incidents like arson or theft.
If you have serious, ongoing vandalism problems, you may qualify for capital funding to improve security.
For more information about improving security and getting security funding, go to Security design .