Free milk is back in school

It was two small packs of milk for a pair of Whangarei schoolgirls, but one huge leap for child nutrition in Northland.

Manaia View School students Ginnye Shelford, 10, and Anaya Waklen, 9, were the lucky two chosen to take the first gulps of milk at the official launch of Fonterra's Milk in Schools programme yesterday.

After helping Fonterra representative Kelvin Wickham unveil the fridge, Ginnye and Anaya drank their milk and smiled shyly in front of photographers and television cameramen.

With the intention of running the programme across the country next year, Fonterra is running a pilot in Northland this year with more than 100 schools participating.

The programme was a "turn-around event for New Zealand," Manaia Health PHO chief executive Chris Farrelly said.

Mr Farrelly, who last year called for a government inquiry into the price of milk, praised Fonterra for its "courageous and generous gesture".

Milk in Schools had thrown out a challenge to corporate groups, the Government, local government and community groups, he said. "If all of us were as generous today as Fonterra is, then we would have no more poverty, then our children would come to school ready to learn and ready to reach their full potential. The challenge facing New Zealand now is to turn the cycle of poverty around."

Manaia View School principal Leanne Otene said improving the nutrition of her pupils was an "absolute priority". Ms Otene said the milk would be delivered to classrooms by milk monitors at 9am each day. The children would be encouraged to recycle their empty cartons.

"The children have had the opportunity to learn about the nutritional benefits of drinking milk each day. The fact that milk contains 200 natural nutrients that help us to release energy from our food will, I'm sure, give a boost to our kids as they settle to learn each day. It's a brain food after all."

Mr Wickham, Fonterra's director of supplier and external communications, acknowledged the dairy farmers. "Our farmers are out there producing milk and they've given us their support to run this programme."