Whangamarino School privileged to be in Fruit and Schools programme

A Ministry of Health programme in schools is making sure every child can have fresh fruit and vegetables at school.

Fruit and Vegetables in Schools is in more than 20 Rotorua schools including Whangamarino School.

Principal Lorraine Northey said she was impressed to see the programme at the school when she started a couple of months ago.

"It was fantastic to see and it's about equality, you know every child has that opportunity to have fresh, beautiful fruit and vegetables.

"What I was really impressed about was the whānau atmosphere. A lot of the classrooms sit together to eat their fruit. It's like a social interaction where we share beautiful kai."

Pupil Teimana Newton, 7, said his favourite fruits were oranges and plums.

Ngatai Mear, 7, said she liked getting the fruit because it was delicious and she liked pears and apples.

Northey said she was grateful for the programme.

Whangamarino School pupils Teimana Newton, 7, (left) and Ngatai Mear, 7, enjoy fresh fruit. Photo / Ben Fraser

"The children love the fruit. I feel very privileged that our children have the opportunity to have fruit in schools."

Fruit and Vegetables in Schools is funded by the Ministry of Health and managed by United Fresh New Zealand Incorporated. The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust also supports the programme with lessons on healthy eating, gardening and more.

The programme supplies one piece of fruit each day to more than 118,000 students in decile one and two schools around the country.

United Fresh president Jerry Prendergast said the programme addressed social barriers.

"In many of these schools, children don't have access to enough food, let alone fresh fruit and vegetables.

"Fruit in Schools helps address that barrier by feeding kids healthy food in a way that creates equality, regardless of background, and takes away the stress from whānau and teachers when children come to school hungry."

The programme is run in almost 550 schools nationwide, including more than 20 Rotorua schools.

What is Fruit in Schools?
- A Government-funded initiative that provides daily fresh fruit and vegetables to children in low-decile schools.
- Piloted in 2004 in 25 schools.
- Now in 21 regions, 548 schools (around 25 per cent of New Zealand primary schools), feeding 119,005 children and staff, 23 million servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every year

Rotorua schools that run the Fruit and Vegetables in Schools programme
Aorangi School, Horohoro School, Kaingaroa Forest School, Kaitao Intermediate, Kea Street Special School, Lake Rotoma School, Malfroy School, Owhata Primary School, Rotorua Primary School, Rotorua School for Young Parents, Selwyn Primary School, Sunset Primary School, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Rotoiti, Te Kura o te Whakarewarewa, Te Kura Toitu o Te Whaiti-nui-a-Toi, Te Maioha School, Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hurungaterangi, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata, Western Heights Primary School, Whangamarino School