How Gisborne schools are stepping up amid rising family hardship

Tui Keenan and kura whānau prepare Kai Ora boxes to be delivered to Waikirikiri School whānau. Front (from left) are Nanny Tira Nathan, Taurren Kupenga-Tamarama, Mana Biddle-Nepia, Hiria Whati-Haap and Nanny Mere Teepa. Back: Keenan, Kiki Wilson and Māmā Karol Johnson.

The start of a new school year has brought with it huge challenges for families as they struggle through the cost of living crisis but Gisborne schools and a national children’s charity are working together to feed and help clothe students.

Lytton High School has just been added to the 36 schools in Gisborne which receive support from the KidsCan children’s charity.

KidsCan also partners with eight early childhood centres in Gisborne and eight more are waiting for support.

A survey by KidsCan of more than 200 partner schools has painted a bleak picture of what children in hardship are grappling with at the start of the school year.

Waikirikiri School in Gisborne is one such school where children are not getting enough to eat at home and families cannot afford the school uniform.

But the school is working closely with its community and whānau to overcome these challenges.

It uses an internal lunch model where meals are prepared by some of the mums in the school kitchen. They also get additional community and whānau support, including food provided by the Hunting with Tui initiative which regularly supplies wild venison.

Tui Keenan’s organisation also provides boxes of fresh food at a discounted price to school whānau.

Waikirikiri principal Yolanda Julies said Ministry of Education funding for the school lunches programme was half what it used to be but this was being supplemented by food supplied through KidsCan, as well as whānau and community food donations.

“The children want to be at school as it means they get food and assistance with their school uniforms, so attendance is not a problem for us,” Julies said.

The school also provides breakfasts through the Breakfasts in School programme and gives an extra meal to Year 7 and 8 students at the end of the school day.

“We know this could be the last meal they will eat on a given day,” Julies said.

In a typical week, children get two hot meals while lunches of sandwiches and rolls are provided on the other days.

The KidsCan food is used to enhance and supplement meals.

“The amount we get from the ministry is not enough to feed our children adequately, so we are grateful to KidsCan and other community providers for their assistance,” Julies said.

The school is also able to provide uniforms and has made it a cost-effective uniform consisting of shorts, a T-shirt and a hat, as well as a sweatshirt for winter.

KidsCan provides jackets and shoes and socks for the winter months.

Boys' High School is also receiving support from KidsCan.

“We are extremely grateful for the support of KidsCan and the provision of lunches that we do get,” GBHS principal Tom Cairns said.

“Food makes a difference to sustained attendance and leads to NCEA results that are significantly above the national average.”

KidsCan supports Gisborne Boys’ High by providing shoes for students whose families would otherwise not be able to afford them.

The school also has a Breakfast Club through which senior boys and prefects make sure all boys can start the school day with a solid breakfast of Weet-Bix, toast and baked beans.

The school is part of the Healthy School Lunches Programme. However, several years ago it opted to undertake an internal delivery of lunches through local suppliers.

Cairns said despite the reduction in funding, the school continued to “deliver a quality lunch to every student, every day”.

In a statement, KidsCan said with thousands of children starting the school year without the essentials – including uniforms, shoes, food, and stationery – teachers had been warning that feelings of shame and embarrassment were preventing many from starting school on time, causing them to fall further behind.

“The more they miss, the harder it is to catch up, so they continue to miss more school,” one principal shared in the survey of KidsCan partner schools.

“They lose social connections, feelings of security and stability, a hot meal, necessary learning – and not just classroom learning – that enables them to prepare for the world beyond school.”

Many schools said children went to school primarily to get fed.

KidsCan supports 1100 schools and early childhood centres nationwide, and the demand is growing.

“We see first-hand the positive impact our support has on families and children in the classroom,” KidsCan founder and chief executive Julie Chapman said.

“But we also know how devastating the consequences can be when children don’t attend school. That’s why we’re asking Kiwis who believe that education equals opportunity to join us in supporting a child with a $30 monthly donation. It can help change a child’s life.”

To donate, go to www.kidscan.org.nz.