KickStart Breakfast is a joint initiative between Fonterra, Sanitarium and the Ministry of Social Development. Since 2009, we have served more than 70 million breakfasts and run in nearly 1,500 schools nationwide.
The programme is designed to positively impact child well-being by providing access to nutritious food at school. It's helping give our tamariki and rangatahi a boost to both their school day and their future by ensuring they have a healthy start along with a full puku to keep them alert in the classroom.
KickStart Breakfast is the only national breakfast programme of its kind, and has been delivering Anchor™ Milk and Sanitarium Weet-Bix™ to New Zealand schools since 2009. The programme is now serving over 200,000 breakfasts each school week. Partnering with Sanitarium and the Ministry of Social Development means all of us can help create goodness for generations and give students the best start to the day – a nutritious breakfast.
KickStart Breakfast Programme Ākina Impact Report
In 2024, KickStart Breakfast commissioned an independent impact report, produced by The Ākina Foundation, which provided insights into the impact of the programme on tamariki and rangatahi, their whānau and wider communities.
Key programme impacts include:
- Enhancing physical wellbeing
- Fuelling opportunities to achieve greater educational outcomes
- Strengthening connection and building belonging
- High societal benefit
In 2008, Fonterra compiled existing research to establish an understanding of food security for children in New Zealand and it was found that 10% of children were attending school without breakfast (CPAG, 2005), which was having an impact on their learning ability and performance at school.
KickStart Breakfast exists to make sure Kiwi kids can get a great start to their school day with a healthy nutritious breakfast.
In 2009, Fonterra and Sanitarium partnered to provide free Anchor™ milk and Sanitarium Weet-Bix™ twice a week to decile 1-4 schools.
The Ministry of Social Development came on board in 2013, extending KickStart Breakfast to up to every school day per week and opening the programme to all schools in New Zealand, regardless of their Equity Index (EQI) (formerly school decile system). The programme is available for primary, intermediate, secondary schools as well as Teen Parenting, special schools and some Alternative Education Providers.
Fonterra provides Anchor™ milk, Sanitarium provides Weet-Bix™ and the Ministry of Social Development support the programme through funding.
It’s up to each school to provide the rest; the bowls and cutlery, the space and the people to run the breakfast club. The KickStart Breakfast team support schools sourcing equipment and how to find volunteers along with running the programme to suit their school’s needs.
Schools share what they love most about KickStart Breakfast
It’s great to hear from the schools and the pupils themselves about what they think of KickStart Breakfast, so, here’s what three schools that do Breakfast Club very differently had to say:
KickStart Breakfast YouTube Channel
Check out more videos on the KickStart Breakfast YouTube Channel.
We value the part we play in our community
Being part of this programme helps forge strong relationships and grow future leaders, while making valuable nutrition available to our tamariki and rangatahi.
What has exceeded expectations are the communities in and out of the schools that have developed from the breakfast clubs and some of the intangible qualities that have come with that – care, nurturing, confidence and connection. We feel fortunate (and a little proud) to be playing a role in these communities.
Fonterra Doing Good Together helps solve social or community issues for the success of our communities.
Find out more about the extent of the work we do through Fonterra Doing Good Together.