‘We Share, We Care’: International Student’s Toilet Clean-up Campaign Slashes Vandalism Bill
By Portia Mao
A Chinese international student at Rangitoto College has led a campaign to improve the state of school toilets — and the effort has helped cut vandalism-related costs by more than 85 per cent.
Michael Chen arrived in Auckland from Anhui, China, in mid-2023.
He expected New Zealand’s largest secondary school to have well-maintained facilities, but says he was by the mess and graffiti in the boys’ bathrooms.
“I came from China, where the condition of many school toilets can be quite poor,” Chen said.
“So I originally had high expectations for New Zealand. When I saw the toilets here, it was hard to put into words. From that moment, I felt I needed to do something about it.”
Michal Chen, an international student from Anhui, China ( Photo / Supplied)
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Chen says he was encouraged by the school’s emphasis on independent thinking and personal initiative. Soon after noticing the problem, he approached senior leaders with an idea for a hygiene and anti-vandalism campaign.
Deputy principals and student leaders backed the proposal.
Chen then worked with the school’s IT department to make a slight change of Ranginet, the internal website, making the “toilet maintenance request” button easier to find. The small technical change meant issues were logged faster and fixed sooner, discouraging repeated damage.
Student leaders also fronted assemblies, using speeches and short videos to highlight shared responsibility for school spaces.
With support from deputy principals Mr Hastie and Mr Searle, Chen launched a poster competition to increase student participation. About 20 entries were received, with winning designs displayed inside toilets as reminders of expected behaviour.
“I didn’t want this to feel like a rule imposed by teachers,” Chen said.
“I wanted students to feel the issue belonged to them.”
Michael Chen’s own poster carried a short message: “We share. We endure. We care.”
Michael Chen’s poster ( Photo / Supplied)
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Figures shared with Chen before his graduation show the cost of repairing toilet damage at Rangitoto College fell from more than $67,000 in the previous year to under $9,000 this year.
Several toilet blocks have since been upgraded using stronger, graffiti-resistant materials at a cost of about $130,000. Further work will proceed as funding becomes available, the school Principal Hastie told Michael Chen.
Deputy Principal Hastie and Michael Chen (Photo / Supplied)
Chen says international students often focus solely on academic performance, but believes involvement in school life builds confidence and connection.
“But taking part in the community is valuable. It helps you grow,” he said.
Michael Chen graduated from Rangitoto College at the end of 2025 and has returned to Anhui to prepare university applications. He hopes to study mechanical engineering overseas.
Looking back on his time in New Zealand, he says the campaign taught him that small actions can create change.
“If something matters to you, you shouldn’t wait for someone else,” he said.
“You can start from where you are.”
At Rangitoto College, the cleaner toilets — and a much slimmer repair bill — suggest his schoolmates agreen stuck.
