Milk for Northland schools

Principal Barbara Bronlund says children, staff and parents at the 80-student school can't wait to get stuck into the first delivery of special Anchor 250ml packs.

"I'm thrilled that our school will be able to work alongside Fonterra to make sure our students get the benefit of milk in the school week. We have a healthy food policy at Kaiwaka Primary School and discourage any drinks other than water. Milk will provide a fantastic alternative that will be good for the kids," says Bronlund.

Fonterra Milk for Schools is one part of the cooperative's plan to make milk more affordable and accessible to all New Zealanders, says chief executive Theo Spierings.

"After a busy summer working on all the details and making many visits to Northland, our team is delighted to encourage primary schools to get on board and help us make a real difference to the health of future generations of Kiwis," says Spierings.

"We're very proud of this programme and it seems the people of Northland are just as excited as us. Milk is one of the most nutritious foods there is and we want to do what we can to make sure Kiwi kids grow up drinking it every day."

Sixty-seven Northland schools have already registered to take part in the Fonterra Milk for Schools pilot. Fonterra will be monitoring the pilot over the first three terms to establish how to best introduce Fonterra Milk for Schools nationwide and iron out practical details such as getting the milk to schools, keeping it cool and recycling the packaging.

Schools that would like to participate in the pilot need to register by February 29. Schools that apply after this date will enter the pilot during Term 2. To find out more or register a school please visit www.fonterramilkforschools.com