From ownership to leasing: How schools can fund their next technology refresh

Having available capital now to buy technology doesn't automatically mean you'll have the funding available to pay for its replacement. When a school owns its technology outright, the next refresh can bring another substantial purchase just as other priorities compete for the same budget, especially when there are significant price increases occurring across the market.

For over 800 New Zealand schools, transitioning to leasing has changed that funding cycle. Rather than waiting until enough capital is available, schools can spread equipment costs across an agreed term and plan what happens next. Quadrent’s experienced education leasing team helps connect those funding decisions with your specific classroom needs.

Review what your school owns

To understand how a leasing solution can help with your budget and technology refresh, start with an asset review. Identify which devices remain reliable, which are approaching the end of their supported life, and where performance is affecting classroom use.

A device-by-device review helps distinguish equipment worth keeping from technology that needs replacing. Your transition plan can then prioritise the most pressing gaps rather than replacing everything at once.

Ageing technology needs to be replaced. How you do that depends on your budget and requirements, but a leasing solution can make it simple without breaking the bank.

Match the lease to the asset

Not every school asset has the same funding approach:

• Lease to return: For regularly refreshed technology such as desktops, laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, MFDs/copiers, and AV equipment
• Lease to own: For longer-life equipment where retaining ownership matters, including school infrastructure like furniture, shade canopies, artificial turf, playgrounds, solar, LED lighting, grounds maintenance equipment, and vehicles. This can be fully or part-funded
• Sale and leaseback: For recently purchased assets, Quadrent can buy the equipment at an agreed value (normally the invoiced value) and lease it back, releasing capital while your school continues using the asset/s

Deciding on what to lease and what to own means choosing the structure that fits each asset and your school’s priorities.

Build a phased funding plan

Start with the next group of devices due for replacement. Decide which owned devices remain fit for purpose, lease the devices that need replacement, then stage future refreshes around learning needs for your school.

Compare the cost of buying and leasing over the same period. Take into account the cost of repairs, warranties, IT support, data erasure, and disposal.

Before committing, confirm affordability across existing and proposed commitments and ensure the lease payments remain within the 10% cap as required by the Ministry of Education. For more information, refer to the MoE website here.

Keep your preferred supplier

Importantly, you don't need to change technology brands or suppliers to start leasing with Quadrent. Our education team will work with your preferred supplier and help tailor the lease to your requirements.

Once the quote is accepted and documentation completed, your supplier invoices Quadrent. After your school receives the equipment, Quadrent pays the supplier and your lease payments commence.

Plan the next refresh now

At the end of your lease term, Quadrent gives you options to return and refresh, extend, purchase, or combine approaches across the fleet, depending on your exact requirements.

For returned technology, secure data erasure and responsible reuse or recycling help address the risks of end-of-life devices, rather than leaving old equipment in storage with sensitive data still on hard drives.

Your school does not need to fund an entire technology transition in one year. We'll work with your school on a practical starting point and a plan it can sustain. Explore how Quadrent can help.