Richie McCaw’s flying milk run
Fonterra provided nearly 20 million packs of milk free to 145,000 primary school students last year as part of its Milk for Schools scheme, now in its fifth year.
A cow and a calf from Oakland's, Raine's family far which has been owned and worked by his ancestors since 1842, will visit the school on the morning of Monday, August 25.
The initiative is part of the Victory School's Year 5 Integrated Study, "From Paddock to Puku".
Victory School, deputy principal, Dave Sullivan, says "The idea for this terms integrated study came from our schools involvement in the Fonterra Milk for Schools Programme, it was important for the students to learn more about where milk comes from and its health benefits, together with the cultural and environmental effects of drinking milk."
Raine, a long-term advocate for education of the farming and dairy industry, has for many years invited groups of school children to tour the dairy. His commitment to re-education and awareness of where milk comes from has led to the incorporation of a new glass-fronted viewing room at the farm.
Oakland's Farm has been supplying milk to Fonterra for many years, but last year Raine also began selling farm fresh milk, from his A2 dairy herd, at the Oakland's farm gate. The service rapidly expanded into Nelson City, and within a few months vending machines were installed at the rear of Vanilla Café and Eat Me Fruit and Vege on St Vincent St.
Raine says, "Over the last year we've taken steps to ensure some of our milk is kept for local distribution. For 150 years our farm has been part of the community, as custodians of Oakland's we see this educational venture as an important step in continuing to forge our relationship with local families."
