KickStart Breakfast

KickStart Breakfast at Miramar South Primary School Wellington is a well run club, packed full of bright young students sharing their latest school holiday adventures over a nutritious breakfast. Set up and run by a group of dedicated teachers, the club is also supported by student leaders who with the help of a teacher have formed 'The Health Squad'. Principal Jeanette De La Mare is proud of the young students who regularly get together to discus opportunities to improve their school environment. "Last year alone, The Health Squad were key in driving projects such as a drinking fountain, a new deck with a veranda for shelter".

Visiting VIP guest Beatrice Faumuina (KickStart Ambassador) was impressed by the students who take such a keen interest in their school. After having breakfast with the students she spoke to the club about the importance of getting a good start to the day, aiming high and reaching your goals. "A nutritious breakfast gives you the Kick Start to your day, allowing you the energy to focus in class and pursue other interests like sport, music or drama. Breakfast is the Kick Start to my day, as this gives me the energy to prepare for my fifth Commonwealth Games and study towards a Business Studies Degree"she said.
 

The student helpers at May Road Primary raced into their KickStart breakfast club, threw down their bags and started to help Breakfast Club Co-ordinator Christine Morey set up the tables. The students come in early most mornings to get things set up in preparation for their fellow students who arrive later as part of the walking school bus.

Parents, teachers and students alike were delighted to meet Beatrice and have their breakfasts served up by a gold medal winning athlete. Beatrice or ‘the discuss lady’ as affectionately put by the young students, was a real inspiration to the students and was met with more than a few “woah’s!” when explaining she can throw over 61 meters.

Thanks May Road for hosting the KickStart Breakfast Team at your school. The students are an enthusiastic bunch that really know the difference a good start to the day makes.

Earlier this year the KickStart Breakfast team challenged all KickStart schools across New Zealand to make a TV advertisement, the winners have been announced and the prizes presented much to the delight of the students and the schools.

The KickStart team, supported by Mega Bull, visited both schools to present in the prizes in front of the whole school assembly, the school receiving a Sony Handicam and digital camera, $600 of supermarket vouchers for the breakfast club, iPods and goodie bags for the winning students. Principal of Whitiora primary Paul Brown said he was proud of the young students for their inspired and award winning work.

“The KickStart Breakfast’s Make a TV Ad competition was a great opportunity for the students to be creative and be in with a chance to win some very handy prizes.” They are very excited about winning – it is a great achievement to win a nationwide competition and we are very proud of them”

After the assembly finished the students were greeting by two Fonterra tanker drivers who were waiting for them outside. The driver’s seat and the ultra loud horn proved to be just as interesting to some students as the built-in milk quality indicators were to other students.

The KickStart Breakfast club at Whitiora were also lucky enough to have a visit from our newest KickStart ambassador, former world discus champion and much loved NZ celebrity Beatrice Faumuina. Beatrice, along with Fonterra Managing Director of Trade and Operations, Gary Romano and Fonterra General Manage of Group Technical Paul Brown enjoyed breakfast with 120 students (the whole school) and spoke with the kids about the importance of getting a good start to the day.

The KickStart Breakfast team recently visited Auckland’s Selwyn College to present prizes to the winners of the Make a TV Ad competition, in front of the entire school assembly of 700 students.

With Mega Bull perched on stage with the KickStart Breakfast team behind him, School Principal Sheryll Ofner congratulated the winners on taking out the nation-wide competition.

Media Studies teacher Lawrence Mikkelsen, who supervised the Making a TV Ad competition, said he was proud of the four students for their inspired and award winning work.

“The KickStart Breakfast’s Make a TV Ad competition was a great opportunity for the students to be creative and be in with a chance to win some cool prizes.

“We will definitely enter any other KickStart Breakfast competitions – the kids got really into it and it’s a great promotion for what the programme is actually about.”

After the assembly finished, the students were greeted by two Fonterra tanker drivers who were waiting for them outside. The driver’s seat and the ultra loud horn proved to be just as interesting to some students as the built-in milk quality indicators were to other students.

The primary school winner of Make a TV Ad competition, Whitiora Primary in Hamilton, will have their presentation on 02 December. They will receive the same prizes and will also have Mega Bull and a Fonterra tanker visit their school.

Beatrice’s new role was announced on Wednesday 25th November at her old school Wesley Intermediate in Auckland’s Mount Roskill, where Fonterra CEO Andrew Ferrier and Sanitarium General Manager Pierre van Heerden welcomed her to the programme.

Beatrice is looking forward to engaging with the students and talking about the benefits of eating a nutritious breakfast “KickStart Breakfast is about looking after the next generation of Kiwi’s – teaching them about nutrition and health, showing them the right way to ‘kick start’ their day. I am very proud to be involved with the programme to encourage New Zealand’s younger generation to nourish their bodies and have more energy for learning,” she said.

Fonterra CEO Andrew Ferrier said the KickStart Breakfast role would complement Beatrice’s international work as a UN Goodwill Ambassador since 2005. “Beatrice is the ideal person to inspire our kids about the value of healthy eating. She will help bring the breakfast message alive and kids will certainly know they can quote Beatrice with authority when they’re back in the family home sharing the message about a healthy breakfast,” Mr Ferrier said.

Sanitarium GM Pierre van Heerden said that Beatrice would help the programme toward its target of 500 schools, after reaching the 300 school milestone earlier this year.

“Success breeds success, and children on the KickStart Breakfast programme will be able to follow Beatrice’s progress towards a record 5th participation in the Commonwealth Games as well as learning positive new patterns of eating for a solid, grounded start to the school day,” Mr van Heerden said.
As Fonterra Sanitarium KickStart Ambassador, Beatrice will get out and about the 300 schools in the custom painted ‘Breakfast Bus’ – a new Toyota Rav 4 SUV sponsored by Toyota New Zealand.