Student Initiative - Dressed For Success:

How Ball Attire Donations are Making our School Ball more Inclusive and Sustainable

by Mia Mackenzie

Looking and feeling good at the school ball is something that all students look forward to upon reaching Year 12 and 13. However, costs of ball attire, makeup and tickets can be truly astronomical - which can hinder many students from attending the ball.

My name is Mia Mackenzie, and I am one of the senior members of the Otumoetai College Special Events Committee. Part of our duties is planning and running the ball, and this year I decided to start ball attire donations in order to help lower costs, aid students in finding sizes and promote sustainable fashion around our ball. With help from the school office, I took in donations of ball dresses, suits and other formal attires from our local community. From there, we were able to gather a large amount of attire that will be able to be hired by students ahead of the ball.

Students feeling good about themselves at the ball is the most important thing to me - and it was truly wonderful seeing how the community came together to donate all the lovely articles of clothing