The region with the worst school attendance in the country has launched a unique campaign to encourage kids to get back to class.

The Let’s Get to School Tai Tokerau campaign, E Te Tai Tokerau – Hoake tātou ki te kura, was launched on Wednesday by Northland schools and the Tai Tokerau Ministry of Education office.

The aim is to boost attendance in the region, where just 34% of students regularly attended class in term 1, according to ministry statistics.

Northland attendance is the lowest in the country but reflects a jump in truancy nationwide since Covid-19 lockdowns began.

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The campaign is unique because the key messages were formed by children and teenagers, with students from Kamo Primary, Hora Hora Primary, Tikipunga High and Taipa Area Schools taking part.

Kamo Primary School 10-year-olds Zavier Harris, Trey Williams, Waimiringa Henare and Caysha-Laurel Parry said they love attending school because it will set them up for their future.

“Some people think it might not be important to come to school and they think they can do other things on their own,” Zavier said.

“But when they get older, they’ll realise that going to school is one of the most important things of your life.”

Other students said they missed their friends and their school felt empty.

Pat Newman, the chairperson of Tai Tokerau Principals’ Association and principal of Hora Hora Primary School, said the student input was profound.

“There were concerns voiced from all the primary and secondary kids that they [absent students] are not making their future a very good one.”

Newman said some absent students were genuinely unwell, as there was an “horrific” stomach bug going around, as well as the flu.

But in other cases, there were a wide number of reasons for truancy.

Some parents believed “rubbish” social media posts that schools would force children to be vaccinated, Newman said.

While schools like Hora Hora were very supportive of vaccines it would never force them, he said, and Covid-19 vaccinations were not done on school grounds.

On the other hand, some parents were afraid their children would catch something at school, like Covid-19 or the flu, Newman said.

Other whānau were struggling due to housing concerns, with renters having their homes sold from under them and being forced to live in garages or caravans, he said.

Some also found the rising cost of petrol made it too expensive to drive their children to school, Newman said.

Truancy programmes in Auckland had success by offering food hampers to the families of missing children and some Northland schools were considering incentives.

Newman believed the campaign would only be successful if it inspired the wider community to help support families to get their kids back to school.

“It won’t succeed unless we get aunties and uncles, and neighbours saying, ‘we know your kids aren’t going to school, how can we help?’”

Bay of Islands International Academy principal Chris Bell said regular attendance was not only important for academic success, but social and emotional development too.

“Our sole focus is no longer about lifting children academically but a combination of lifting their confidence as learners, alongside lifting their ability to be effective members of communities, effective collaborators and effective communicators.”

As part of the campaign, Northland schools have been provided a social media kit containing graphics and messaging in both te reo Māori and English, which can be used on a range of platforms including Facebook, websites and newsletters.