The School Travel Collective (STC)…New Zealand’s answer to the two most pressing concerns from schools, boards and parents in this new Post-Covid era: “are my students going to be safe?” and “are my funds safe?”.

The School Travel Collective is the culmination of the long-term efforts of Founding Members, Tour Time, Defining Moments, Travel 2 Learn, Educational Journeys and EdventureTours, who have collaborated for many years on the best way to educate the sector about the benefits of TAANZ bonding.  The formation of STC was finalised amid the fallout of the COVID travel refunds fiasco of 2020, to help rebuild trust & credibility in the school travel sector.

Schools have always been risk-averse when it comes to health and safety, and rightly so, however equal rigour and caution should be applied to the financial risk on behalf of families and schools for the protection of their school’s reputation when choosing a travel provider.

The MOE provide schools with a set of guidelines for EOTC and School Travel.  In their guidelines they state that the recommendation is to use a TAANZ and IATA bonded agent. TAANZ (Travel Agents Association of New Zealand), offers consumer protection to the parents of students, however IATA only offers the airline protection, which is an important differentiation.  

The guidelines also state that if a non-bonded agent is used, then the risks need to be disclosed to the parents and agreement to use a non-bonded agent is to be sought from the parents. Please find more information re MOE guidelines (and link to MOE website) in our below FAQ’s section here, along with further information on TAANZ.

STC is built on the Guiding Principles of protecting the funds of our schools and their communities through TAANZ financial bonding and protecting our young women and men through global-standard rigorous health, safety and duty of care practices. STC have set the benchmark for the minimum requirements to operate in the school travel market; creating a fair, transparent and equitable marketplace and lowering the financial risk to schools and families who only work with STC member companies.

By working with the Ministry of Education’s best practice guidelines and with the support of TAANZ, Qualmark (NZ Government) and Work Safe NZ - STC Members can ensure that despite the challenges currently facing the schools’ community when proposing future travel plans, when you’re working with an STC member your student’s health and wellbeing, and their funds are in the best possible hands.  

This is good news for the schools, boards and families choosing to work with STC members.  Here’s an introduction from each of our members.

TOUR TIME: is a 100% family owned and operated company with satellite offices in Auckland, Sydney, Argentina and the USA. They have been in business for 29 years providing customised Sports, Music/Performing Arts and Educational travel options both domestic and international for New Zealand and Australian schools. As a sports touring specialist company - Tour Time are the exclusive travel partner in New Zealand and Australia for the Sports Academy USA, formally Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy. “The most important thing is to try and inspire people. So that they can be great in whatever they want to do” – Kobe Bryant
Tour Time are here to help you and your athletes gain the competitive advantage by training and building leadership skills with world class coaches domestically and around the world. To the unacquainted, sport is nothing more than swimming fast or chasing leather around grass fields. Yet for those who’ve experienced the thrill of competition, the tears, the sweat, the comradery, the agony, the ecstasy, roaring crowds and soaring victories, sport is a state of being.

DEFINING MOMENTS: is a Division of House of Travel Whangarei Limited and since our first tour to Vietnam in 2003, we have helped thousands of kiwi high school students go beyond our shores to discover cultures, history, languages, landscapes, industries, and experiences that not only expand and enhance the amazing work done in classrooms by secondary teachers all over the country, but also challenge students to achieve a greater understanding of themselves and their place in the world around them.

TRAVEL TO LEARN: is a division of NZ Travel Brokers. Travel to Learn has over 15 years’ experience in organising overseas educational trips for students from New Zealand. Our trips are geared towards college age students, to inspire them outside the classroom and encourage them to develop a deeper understanding of the subjects they are studying.

EDUCATIONAL JOURNEYS: is a Division of Service Travel Ltd, a 100% family owned and operated NZ company. Educational Journeys is a market-leading school tour specialist creating bespoke student tours. Itineraries are centred around discovery and fun - engaging experiences which are designed to stimulate, challenge and reward students while helping teachers bring the classroom theory to life.

EDVENTURE TOURS GROUP TRAVEL:  is 100% family owned and operated.  We have been arranging school group tours for the past 25 years through Flight Centre. We arrange domestic and international tours specialising in the Pacific Islands, Asian and the European arena.  Our mission is to create experiences to last a lifetime. All our tours are custom made to suit your curriculum requirements. 

If you need further information on STC and understanding the implication of TAANZ bonding on your financial security, please reach out and we would be more than happy to arrange a time to call or zoom to go into more detail with you and your SLT.

We wish you all the best for the coming year and a more settled 2022.

Kind regards

Brent Imrie and the STC memberswww.schooltravelcollective.co.nz
Article added: Thursday 10 March 2022