28 May 2013

Invercargill kura plans to join breakfast programme

8:07 pm on 28 May 2013

A Southland Maori language total immersion school is planning to take advantage of an expansion of the KickStart breakfast in schools scheme.

Prime Minister John Key on Tuesday announced extra funding for the programme, run by Fonterra and Sanitarium.

The programme will be offered to all schools that need it, five days a week.

Te Wharekura o Arowhenua in Invercargill has 120 students from Year 1 to 13.

Its tumuaki or principal, Arni Wainui, says the government's announcement will mean it can feed tauira or students five days a week, rather than just three days.

She says children from about six families are in real need of help.

Ms Wainui says the school is aware that when some of the students do not attend it's usually because they do not have food for lunch.

She says her kura keeps a secret stash of food such as noodles for children who are hungry.

Arni Wainui says other children who've brought lunch to school also share with peers who have none.

She suspects the programme will be greatly appreciated by schools of all deciles because it's not just children in low socio-economic school areas who go to school without lunch.