A school in Whangārei is going above and beyond to ensure their tamariki are able to learn as the cost of living continues to rise.
Manaia View School is part of Fonterra’s Milk for Schools, Fruit in Schools and KidsCan food programs, and also has a breakfast club to ensure students are able to learn with full bellies.
Principal Leanne Otene told Breakfast families are “most definitely” doing it tough, adding that "most schools across New Zealand will have children and whānau who are struggling at this time".
"It’s about responding to that need and ensuring that we’re doing everything we possibly can so that our tamariki have what they need to be able to learn.”
Otene said the free food schemes are “across the board for every child, for every whānau”.
“If we don’t do it, there are going to be tamariki who are going to be hungry and there are going to be whānau who are going to struggle even more so to send their kids to school and have the tools and the resources that they need to learn,” she said.
“It’s about breaking down all those inequalities to get equity, basically, and that’s what we do here.
“I’ve got a great team and a huge amount of support from philanthropic groups to be able to do it.”
However, she said it isn't just about kai, but ensuring their tamariki have the tools they need to learn.
“The basic amount of stationery costs whānau $20 per child, and that is a huge amount of money when you’ve got four or five tamariki.”
Otene said they made the decision at the start of the school year to “really subsidise” the cost of stationery to just $5 “regardless of what you need, and that includes a Chromebook”.
“It’s about tying in education with the needs of the community and we are a reflection of communities across New Zealand here.”
She said school staff are doing all they can to support students in need, adding that if they didn't, the tamariki "probably won’t come to school because they don't have the tools, they don’t have the kai so attendances would go down and then we’ve got a whole generation of tamariki who aren’t learning as well".
Otene expressed her gratitude towards the philanthropic groups providing donations of money and goods to the school.
"I think that's a way forward for everyone. There are children in every school in New Zealand that need the support, whānau that need the support, and it's about us as a community - as school communities - being aware of that and I know in Te Tai Tokerau, my school's not the only one. There are many schools in Te Tai Tokerau who do this type of work."
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