Kai kickstarts day: Sponsored breakfast programme has been in schools for 15 years

The KickStart Breakfast programme has been fuelling Gisborne school children for 15 years, as of this month. 

The programme is a community partnership between Fonterra, Sanitarium and the Ministry of Social Development in which Anchor milk and Sanitarium Weet-Bix are supplied to more than 1400 of New Zealand’s 2500 public schools (more than 42,000 students), including 44 in the Gisborne - East Coast region. 

Among these are Ngata Memorial College in Ruatōria, which has 110 students getting regular breakfasts, and Gisborne Boys’ High School, which has a breakfast club of 80 boys filling up on Weet-Bix each morning. 

Kaiti School joined the programme in 2011 and to date serves breakfast five days a week to 12 students. 

“Our tamariki are very lucky to have the KickStart breakfast available at our kura [school],” Kaiti School principal Billie-Jean Potaka Ayton said. “I saw some of them having brekkie this morning and they were all smiles.” 

Programme manager Tracey Putt said the positive impacts had gone beyond the breakfast table. 

“KickStart Breakfast removes barriers for tamariki and rangatahi to access nutrition while, at the same time, providing a space for students and the wider school community to come together, share some kai and build connection. 

“The programme brings together teachers, student leaders, whānau and the 4000-strong volunteers across New Zealand who generously give their time and energy to supporting their local breakfast clubs every school day.” 

According to a recent report by the Ākina Foundation, the programme helps students start the day happier and more settled, with a greater ability to focus on learning. 

The report showed this led to societal benefits such as better school attendance, improved behaviour and greater educational outcomes for students, as well as less time and financial stress for whānau. 

The programme is open to all New Zealand public schools. KickStart Breakfast supplies milk and Weet-Bix, it’s up to each school to provide the rest — bowls and cutlery, a place to eat and people to run breakfast club.