The verdict in three sentences
Families in Thorndon, Kelburn, Karori or Lower Hutt, many of them in government, diplomatic or professional roles, read a school website to answer one question: what will my child's day actually be like? A local agency redesign runs NZD 15,000 to 45,000 in 2026 (about USD 9,000 to 27,000), while Kolonell delivers a fixed-price redesign at USD 4,900 (Growth) or USD 8,900 (Premium) in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. The best redesigns spend less effort on visual effects and more on honest, specific pages that a parent can trust.
What tells you a redesign is due?
- Prospective parents ask the office the same five questions every week, because the website does not answer them.
- Curriculum pages list subjects but never explain how a week is organised.
- Staff pages are either missing or show people who left two years ago.
- After a merger or a change of name, two websites still compete in search results.
- Most content is news, and the pages that matter for admissions have not changed since they were written.
What should parent-facing pages say, and what should they never claim?
Storytelling for a school works when it is concrete. The table separates what builds trust from what creates risk under the Fair Trading Act, which prohibits misleading claims.
| Page | What parents want to know | Good evidence to use | Never publish |
|---|---|---|---|
| A day in the life | Start and finish times, breaks, lunch, after-school options | Real timetable, photos with documented parental consent | Staged scenes presented as everyday reality |
| Curriculum explained | How learning is organised by year level | The curriculum the school actually follows, described plainly | Invented results or rankings |
| Our teachers | Who will teach my child | Names, roles and short bios approved by each person | Unverified qualifications |
| Pastoral care and wellbeing | How the school supports pupils | The school's own policies, linked as approved documents | Promises about outcomes |
| Admissions | Steps, dates, what to prepare | Clear steps and a short enquiry form | Requests for health or school reports in an open form |
| Fees (if published) | Total cost, compulsory extras | Board-approved figures, extras shown clearly | Hidden or partial pricing |
Te reo Māori greetings and headings can sit naturally inside an English site. If you publish full pages in other languages, Premium is the multilingual tier, with languages set in the quote.
How much will it cost over three years?
The local figures are a 2026 ballpark from typical Wellington agency quotes and public rate pages, converted to USD approximately. Maintenance lines are market assumptions, not Kolonell prices: Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.
| Option | Build (approx. USD) | Maintenance 33 months, market assumption | 3-year total (approx. USD) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer, NZD 10,000 | 6,000 | NZD 150/month, about USD 3,000 | 9,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Wellington studio, NZD 25,000 | 15,000 | NZD 200/month, about USD 4,000 | 19,000 | 8 to 14 weeks |
| Full-service agency, NZD 45,000 | 27,000 | NZD 300/month, about USD 6,000 | 33,000 | 12 to 20 weeks |
| Kolonell Growth | 4,900 | assumed USD 120/month, about USD 3,960 | 8,860 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Premium | 8,900 | assumed USD 120/month, about USD 3,960 | 12,860 | 3 to 4 weeks |
Each Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in New Zealand hours, native English copywriting and 3 months of support. See the international offer page for the tier details.
On quote, as separate lines: admissions portal, fee payment, school management system, parent app and calendar feeds. They are kept and linked, not rebuilt.
Timeline and risks
Weeks 1 to 4 with Kolonell: audit and URL inventory of both old sites if relevant, then structure and copy, then build with WCAG 2.2 AA checks (contrast, keyboard use, captions on videos, accessible policy PDFs), then go-live. Pick the summer holidays or a quiet term break, away from open days, enrolment deadlines and NCEA exams in November.
Main risks:
- Rankings split across two domains after a merger: inventory every URL with traffic, redirect each one to its closest page, monitor Search Console for 6 weeks.
- Over-polished copy: the principal reviews every claim before go-live; registrations and curricula appear only as the school actually holds them.
- Children's data: enquiry forms collect parent contact, year level and start date only; documents go through a secure admissions portal, on quote. The privacy statement reflects the Privacy Act 2020.
- Pupil images: documented parental consent for every photo and video, with a removal route.
- Safeguarding content: published as the school's own approved documents, never rewritten as marketing.
- Cookie consent that actually controls analytics and admissions tags.
Need a professional website?
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This is not legal advice.
When is a Wellington agency the better choice?
If you want a filmed documentary of school life, regular in-person workshops with the board and staff, or a custom-built enrolment system, choose a local agency. Ask every provider who writes the day-in-the-life copy, who approves staff bios, and how the two old domains will be handled after the merger.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Harbourline College (fictional), formed when two neighbouring schools merged. It still runs two old websites: 160 URLs on the first and 95 on the second.
- 255 URLs inventoried; 70 receive search traffic and get one-to-one 301 redirects; the rest point to the closest of 48 new pages.
- Kolonell Growth: USD 4,900, including the day-in-the-life page, curriculum by year level and 22 approved staff bios.
- Local video crew for a half-day of consented filming (third-party cost): about NZD 2,500, roughly USD 1,500.
- Total: 4,900 + 1,500 = USD 6,400, against a Wellington studio quote of about NZD 25,000, roughly USD 15,000.
- Two CMS and hosting subscriptions at about NZD 1,200 a year each (the school's current cost) become one.
FAQ
How do we write a day-in-the-life page without exaggerating?
Start from the real timetable and describe one ordinary day, from drop-off to pick-up. Use 6 to 10 photos with documented consent, and let the principal approve the final text.
Can we publish staff photos and bios?
Yes, with each person's consent and approval of their own bio. Plan about 2 weeks to collect 20 or more bios before the build starts.
What happens to the old domains after a merger?
Keep both domains registered for at least 2 years and redirect every URL with traffic to its closest new page. Check Search Console weekly for 6 weeks.
Is Growth enough for a merged school?
For one language, Growth at USD 4,900 usually is. Premium at USD 8,900 is the multilingual tier, with languages set in the quote.
Let's scope your project. Send both URL lists, your staff count and your preferred go-live week, and we will return a fixed USD scope and a content plan for parents. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
