Grateful Taranaki mum donates over 100 gowns to school that changed her son's life

For this Kiwi woman, it’s a small token to say thank you for the support her family’s received.

A Taranaki mum is paying it forward by donating more than 100 new dresses to the school she says changed her son's life.

Helen Burley moved to the area three years ago from Auckland. She said her son used to struggle at school, but credits the teachers from Opunake High School for turning his situation around.

"I wanted to give back to them so badly," she said.

The gowns, which came from a shop Ms Burley used to own, arrived in time for the school's Hollywood-themed ball.

"Some girls love the flowy dress you know that they can be like a princess or then you've got girls that want to look like Kim Kardashian," Ms Burley said.

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"Oh I would love 100 daughters, I love girls."

Principal Peter O'Leary said: "For me, it's a fantastic gift from our community, it shows how supportive our community is of our school."

He said the dresses give all students a chance to have a fantastic ball experience no matter their socio-economic background.

One student said she was grateful she was able to pick from so many gowns.

"My mum's so grateful. She was stressing quite a bit actually like trying to find a ball dress," she said.

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