Tauranga children could benefit from Fonterra's Milk for Schools programme from 2013, with the scheme first being trialled in Northland in 2012.

Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings says the programme is part of their plan to make milk more affordable and more available for New Zealanders.

'Milk is an important building block for good nutrition. We want Kiwi kids to grow up drinking milk because it is good for them.

'We want all New Zealand primary school children to have access to dairy nutrition every school day.”
Theo says for some New Zealanders this initiative will bring back memories when a similar programme operated in primary schools between 1937 and 1967.

'We know milk offers a unique combination of nutrients which are essential for children's growth and development.

'The New Zealand Dietary Guidelines recommend school children consume at least two to three servings every day of milk or dairy.”

To test logistics of the Fonterra Milk for Schools programme, the cooperative is trialling it in Northland primary schools, covering 110 schools and 14,000 children.

This begins during the first term of 2012.

'We are excited by this and early indications are the local Northland community is excited too.

'It will be a voluntary programme for schools to opt in to so we can get a fix on likely demand from schools for such a programme,” says Theo.

'We don't want kids having to drink warm milk in summer like the old days, so we will look at installing refrigerators in schools, and also explore options for recycling the milk packaging.”