Who's responsible for feeding Kiwi kids?

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Who's responsible for feeding Kiwi kids?

3News NZ

Kids at Wesley Primary School are learning about responsibility

Kids at Wesley Primary School are learning about responsibility

Recently Campbell Live ran a story about Kiwi kids too poor to have breakfast.

We told you that research by the Ministry of Health suggests that roughly 20 percent of Kiwi households with children run out of money for food.

More and more of those children are having breakfast at school - low decile schools who really don't have money to supply breakfast.

But after our story ran we were contacted by a man named Victor who teaches at West Auckland's Wesley Primary School.

It too, is decile one, but Victor says they're doing things a little differently.

They're attempting to the stop the cycle of kids becoming dependent on food from schools, and instead becoming responsible for food at schools.

Watch the video to see Kate King’s full report.

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Comments

12/02/2013 10:59:32 a.m.

katubaldy wrote:

Exactly what the right don't want to concede is the reality of the situation Anony and Working Family have mentioned. People ARE working hard and still find themselves struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table. It's a simplistic arrogant viewpoint to generalise all less well off parents on, or near the poverty line as stoned,drunken, over breeders and/or somehow dysfunctional..? Then its so much easier to dismiss the troubles they face as their own fault....its pathetic, a hollow argument that increasingly loses its credibility as more and more kiwis find life gets harder the longer this 'out of touch' govt are in power....unless your kids are at Wanganui Collegiate that is...

10/02/2013 12:12:41 p.m.

Anony wrote:

I think this show has given out the wrong points. I have a son that attends wesly primary and the breakfast club is clearly for those who have no time to fed their kids early morning due to work or other family commitments. The soup was clearly an idea to help the kids understand that food doesn't nessesarily have to come from the shops etc. it can grow from produce . The soup was for a fundraiser to help the breakfast club it was not to feed the poor kids at Wesley. The breakfast club is a great idea why hate on people who are trying to help out on the community. Times are hard these days we are not wasting our money on alcohol or drugs or smokes. So please don't judge us because we come from a area where people wanna help out our kids. Know our story first .

15/11/2012 5:09:24 p.m.

chris wrote:

my son goes to wesley primary school and he always has had his breakky and a full lunchbox evryday... we need to crack down on the so called poor of my area that let their kids do wat they like all hours of the day and nite dont feed them but they can afforf real flash cars drink and and smoke and live in housing nz dwellings half the problem is nz taking in unskilled immigrants\refugees giving them a hnz house and a benefit yet these somali refugees can afford brand new taxi cabs but they cant afford market rent or feed the kids

12/09/2012 9:43:52 p.m.

working family wrote:

I can't believe the comments from some of these people on here. We are a family of 7, I have a university degree and my husband a similar qualification. Times aren't easy and food is definitely getting very expensive. We have a mortgage to pay and other bills and quite often are waiting for that next pay fortnight to roll around. Have a heart, we are both qualified people with good jobs and although I wouldn't say we are struggling we can understand why people are. Are you aware that some people are working 40+ hours per week for under $14 per hour. Then theres rent to pay, bills to pay clothes to buy. There is a problem in our country and we all need to wake up. Its easy to blame so that we don't have to take responsibility but its the kids that suffer and one day may be making decisions for us when we need it...

12/09/2012 7:57:29 p.m.

Olivia wrote:

As a mother & grandmother I would like to see so many of these "at risk" children's" parents get of the booze & dope, get out of bed in the morning & feed your children some wheatbix, some spagetti,or an egg. All cheaper than take-away's, cigarettes & booze. As a tax payer, I am sick of propping up so many lazy, overweight, handouts.

12/09/2012 7:38:50 p.m.

Eleanor wrote:

Why bother. I personally do not support the Kids can trust because they're not worthy of the time or money. I come from low Socio-Economic area and yet the parents of these kids who say they can't afford to feed their kids can still afford, Alcohol, Cigarettes and worst of all Drugs. These parents choose to pay for Alcohol, Cigarettes and drugs but they don't buy their kids food or clothing or shoes and many of them have sub standard housing. While Kids Can may be a worthy cause they make it easier for the parents of these children who need their help to drink and take drugs and then they end up abusing the kids too. I realise there are parents out there who just can't afford to feed their kids no matter what but a majority of these childrens parents are choosing not to but their kids food and KidsCan has not shown that they are capable of ensuring that tax payer money will not go to families who choose not to feed their kids. No the Tax Payer should not help KidsCan reaching the $4million they need to help these kids because a majority of the childrens parents are already sucking the tax payer dry by getting a benefit when they could be working.

12/09/2012 7:28:58 p.m.

Vonnie wrote:

Why not deduct a small charge of $1 per child per day = $5 weekly from the parents benefit, it will encourage the parents to ensure their children are at school thereby feeding them and educating them and it will not be such a burden on the Govt and parents will not be 'double dipping'. Why not bring back school lunches using same method of payment.

12/09/2012 7:28:21 p.m.

Kate wrote:

I'm wondering about the hungry kids at my decile 9 kids in Christvhurch. These schools get no funding. These are the truly forgotten kids.

12/09/2012 7:18:51 p.m.

Jenna Goldsworthy wrote:

I am a Mum of three young kids.There is no reason in our country that our children should go hungry the way things are now.How many of the parents out of the total just dont care enough.How is it fair that I work hard to care and provide for my children and Labour are suggesting that now I should for everyone elses?There are a lot of initiatives that could work that dont require the government pay for this and I would support those by choice.Maybe Winz should take the food for the childrens lunches out of peoples benefits to make sure they are actually getting fed.

12/09/2012 7:01:21 p.m.

Wendy wrote:

Get back to school gardens. Get the community involved with growing food within the school grounds. Get rid of NZ natives and start planting citrus trees, fruit trees. Dig up the playing fields and plant spuds, carrots, cabbages etc. Unemployed parents, grandparents and other family members could be drafted to help, along with their physical help they would bring a wealth of knowledge. its out there. Veggie soups inthe winter and salads in the warmer months. Most schools have canteens so why not use them fully and feed the students real food instead of junk