More school lunches, but free milk to end

AUCKLAND: Feeding New Zealand’s hungry children will take one step forward and one step backwards when children return to school next week.

About 640 lowdecile schools will join 182 already getting free school lunches under a $220 million Government scheme.

But at the same time Fonterra has axed its free milk programme for 1300 primary schools, replacing it with targeted assistance to 1300 schools that have joined the KickStart breakfast scheme plus providing milk to foodbanks and other social services.

Independent charity KidsCan says many children were still going hungry, and was launching a new $350,000 appeal today asking donors to buy food, jackets, shoes and sanitary products for needy children.

New Zealand Principals’ Federation president Perry Rush said the impact of Covid19 on both family incomes and pupil achievement would still be ‘‘front and centre’’ in principals’ minds when school resumed.

‘‘The school lunches are fantastic support for young people’s learning. It’s wonderful to see that,’’ he said.

But the Government initiative had forced both Fonterra and KidsCan to rethink their roles in schools.

Fonterra Brands New Zealand managing director Brett Henshaw said the number of schools opting into the free milk scheme, reported in 2017 to be 70% of primary schools or about 1360 schools, had declined by about 4% a year to 1307 schools at the end of last year.

In the same period schools in the KickStart breakfast programme, a joint scheme using Fonterra milk and Sanitarium WeetBix, increased by 4% a year to 1300 schools, with 100 new schools joining this term.

Mr Henshaw said Fonterra was also now working with the New Zealand Food Network to supply milk to foodbanks, shelters, community and iwi groups.

Work and Income food grants jumped by 46% over 2019 figures in the first quarter of last year and by 147% in the second quarter, but were only 16% and 17% above 2019 levels in the past two quarters of the year. — The New Zealand Herald