Principals welcome kids’ free lunches
Every Waih¯ı College student will receive a free Government-funded lunch from the first day of term two — welcome news to staff as well as the estimated 50 students who normally arrive and leave school hungry.
Aggressive behaviour, crankiness and lack of motivation are among the effects of hunger seen in students.
“We’ve run a breakfast club for four or five years now and teachers have become increasingly aware of those families whose children don’t have anything to eat at lunchtime,” says college principal Alistair Cochrane.
He said Covid-19 lockdown had exacerbated the problem.
“We’ve seen an increasing number of students with no lunch. Out of 680 students you could have as many as 50 who don’t have anything to eat.
“They come to school with nothing. Unless they have a friend who will share with them, some students go through the whole day.
“Think about yourself when you miss a meal. If it’s me I get cranky because I’m a bit out of kilter and we’re seeing that with some of our students. Their behaviour is more aggressive.”
Paeroa College has had free lunches since the start of the year. Principal Amy Hacker says the school had worked hard to get the initiative going and it was working well.
Also receiving free lunches in the Hauraki District will be Central School in Waih¯ı and the Kerepehi, Kopuarahi and Karangahake schools.
The expansion of free lunches was announced in last year’s Budget, which tagged $220 million over two years from Covid-19 funding to reach the 25 per cent of students — about 200,000 — at most disadvantage, as measured by a new “equity index”.
The index is based on 26 facts about every child, including the parents’ incomes, education levels, benefit histories, criminal records and ages when the child was born, plus how often the child has changed homes and schools and been reported to Oranga Tamariki.
The Waih¯ı College lunches are being provided for one year, costing about $700,000, Cochrane says.
He says while people’s views might differ on whether or not it was the school’s job to feed students, his view was purely based on education. “If the students are feeling good about themselves and are not hungry, they’re more likely to focus on their learning.”
He’s thankful the Government has invested in feeding all students rather than singling out those in dire need.
“I think it’s going to have a really nice impact on our families in New Zealand and the way kids feel about coming to school and learning.
“I really like the philosophy that to not cause any stigma for anybody is to address [the issue] for all.”
Kopuarahi School principal Chris Patel knows how tough it is for many rural families to buy food for their children after rent is paid. “It’s a massive problem, it’s trauma, before they even walk through the gate.”
She said rents in Ngatea and surrounds were hitting $550 to $600 per week. “On minimum wage there’s just nothing left,” she says.
“Putting food in their pukus is very difficult for many of the families, not just those on the lowest incomes. For a teacher on a single income, it’s almost impossible to afford anything after that amount of rent.”
Chris has been paying for food herself to keep some of her school’s pupils fed, bringing in bread to supplement the Weet-bix they get in the breakfast in schools initiative.
When she went on national television this year to highlight examples of the poverty in New Zealand, people not even connected to the school brought in donations of food.
She said as a school of just 22 pupils, the community responded well to the need but schools with bigger rolls struggled more.
“I think people think the poverty issues that affect children going into school only affect kids in Auckland. I was in a decile 1 school in Rotorua and I can tell you some of those kids were deeply affected.”
She believed charities were a last resort. “It shouldn’t be like that. We’re a country that does have plenty to go around, if we look out for each other. Do you know parents who don’t want took after their kids? No.
“The Ministry [of Education] providing lunches in schools — I wish it didn’t have to happen, but the reality is at the moment it does.”
In the Ka Ora, Ka Ako healthy school lunches programme, schools can decide whether to deliver lunches themselves or outsource to an external supplier.
In Waih¯ı, where 680 students must be fed, no local supplier could cater for them, said Cochrane.
The initiative will mean the closure of the school’s canteen. But the school has guaranteed canteen staff employment, plus three other local people.
Paeroa College principal Amy Hacker said all 283 of its students are served meals prepared by three chefs daily. Students get a main — sandwich, wrap, bap or hot entree depending on the day — whole piece of fresh fruit, a low-sugar yoghurt and a side of popcorn, low-sugar muffin or vegetable crisps. Lunches are provided to all students regardless of economic circumstances.
“The school lunches have been excitedly received by the community with many families reporting that a weight has been lifted off of their shoulders in terms of providing for their children in challenging economic times.” Student attendance had risen 15 per cent from Term 1, 2020.
It also has a daily breakfast club for any students who want it. About 30-35 students daily use the club, which is supported by Paeroa Rotary, Kids Can and Kickstart Breakfast.
Hacker said Paeroa College was grateful to the Government for the lunch plan, which allowed all of its students to focus on their learning.