Bike-a-thon 2020

The 2020 Bike-a-thon has launched. To help support the work of Catholic Education through this annual fundraiser for St Anthony's Primary School and St Dominic's College, please visit our fundraising website : bikeathon.nz

At the heart of Catholic Education is the desire that all children who are deserving of an education, even those without the means, are never turned away.

In New Zealand, the State funds education plentifully, but requires adherence then to a curriculum which does not accord with traditional Catholic educational principles. To keep our Catholic ethos the schools the Society of St Pius X in New Zealand must remain private schools. We receive only minimal State funding, and what little we receive, decreases each year.

Unlike other private schools, neither a large endowment, nor wealthy families stand behind the schools. We try to keep expenses as low as possible, but must charge tuition for students. Our tuition is extremely low so the less fortunate and often large Catholic families can afford quality traditional Catholic education, but this comes at a price. The vast majority of our operating expenses, salaries, maintenance, as well as improvements to our facilities must come through donations and fundraising.

The priests, religious brothers, Dominican Sisters, teachers and students must go out and help raise the funds necessary to keep the schools running. One of the ways we have been doing this for many years is the annual Bike-a-thon.

Each year the primary students of St Anthony's School, secondary students of St Dominic's and St Augustine's college ride their bicycles to school, then later that day across Whanganui to the Velodrome. There during a one-hour session, they ride as many 250-metre laps as they can collecting a small donation per lap. This fundraiser alone has brought in over $60,000 each year.

Please consider helping the work of Catholic Education in New Zealand by offering your support here.