Media release from Every Child Counts

Current food in schools just a start

At a press conference in Wellington this afternoon, members of the ‘Community Campaign for Food in Schools’ have identified the gaps in current food in schools provision – including the newly expanded KickStart programme – and expressed disappointment that Peter Dunne has said he will vote against the Feed the Kids Bill preventing it from going to Select Committee.

“When the government announced the expansion of the KickStart programme, we welcomed that as an important acknowledgement of the government’s role in addressing, and mitigating the impact of, poverty.

However, we are concerned that the programme is being delivered without any effort to involve parents and build community; it doesn’t link to curriculum learning; and it may be delivered in a way that stigmatises children. We would like to see the programme built on and developed further in order to achieve some wider goals so we are urging all MPs to support the ‘Feed the Kids Bill’ to go to Select Committee,” says Dennis McKinlay, Chair of Every Child Counts.

Helen Bowbyes, Guidance Counsellor at Naenae College says, “We work very hard to secure the resources to feed the children in our school and we want to see sustained investment in food in schools, supporting by legislation so that schools have greater certainty. We’re seeing many positive benefits from the food programme in our school but it is resource intensive to provide. We support the Feed the Kids Bill because it would provide for a paid coordinator and would also invest in monitoring and evaluation to ensure food programmes are delivered in the best way possible.”

Alicia Hart and Tom Bird, head girl and head boy at Naenae College talked about the pride that students feel knowing their school is taking care of the children who need additional support. They urged the government to invest more in children.

Dr Maraina Smith, a General Practitioner in Porirua says, “In my community of Porirua, I regularly see families who are struggling to meet all of the needs of their children. They are good parents, striving to their very best. But there is a lack of education around what an appropriate diet and routine entails, as well as an increasingly high cost of living associated with low incomes, which results in food quickly becomes one of the things that has to be reduced in order to live within their means.

Along with malnutrition comes an increased likelihood of illness and childhood obesity. Immune systems are compromised making children more susceptible to respiratory and skin infections, and the diseases of poverty spread quickly. As a society we have the obligation to provide this basic necessity to our children, if their families are unable to. Children are vulnerable and dependent, and if we can help, we should.”

ENDS

* Community Campaign for Food in Schools (as at 8 July 2013)

Anglican Church

Auckland Action Against Poverty

Barnardos

Caritas Aotearoa NZ

Child Poverty Action Group

Choose Kids: Students Giving Kiwi Kids a Chance

CTU Rūnanga

Every Child Counts

IHC

Manaia PHO

Methodist Church

NZ Educational Institute

NZ Nurses’ Organisation

NZ Principals’ Federation

Plunket

Poverty Action Waikato

PPTA

Quality Public Education Coalition (QPEC)

Salvation Army

Save the Children

Te ORA (Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa): Māori Medical Practitioners’ Association

Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora (Māori Women’s Welfare League)

Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori

Te Tai Tokerau PHO

Te Waka Huia Māori Cultural Group

Tertiary Education Union

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners

Unicef NZ

Women’s Refuge

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