20 August 2025
KickStart Breakfast at Tolaga Bay Area School: A Story of Manaakitanga
Located on the beautiful East Coast of Tairāwhiti, Tolaga Bay Area School welcomes tamariki and rangatahi not just with the ring of a bell, but with the aroma of breakfast and the warmth of community. KickStart Breakfast is more than a meal—it’s a thoughtful, inclusive initiative designed to ensure that every student can begin their learning with a full puku and a sense of belonging.
Low-Key, High-Impact: The Approach
Tolaga Bay Area School has reimagined what a breakfast club can be. Instead of a single central location, each learning block—redesigned with care for the needs of students from years 1- 13, providing access to a kitchen or kitchenette. These spaces aren’t just functional – they serve as gathering points, where kai is always available, free from any fuss or stigma.
Most kitchens operate with a self-service model: Weet-Bix, milk, yoghurt and fruit are set out and ready for students to help themselves as needed. In other blocks, breakfast is more communal - a chance for shared meals, lessons in how to be at the table and with one another. Students learn important social skills as they sit together, enjoying each other’s company and conversation.
The Motivation
Many students were arriving at school without having eaten, for reasons that varied—sometimes linked to whānau facing challenges like limited budgets and resources, reflecting the diverse circumstances many families navigate each day. The effects of hunger were tangible—students unable to settle, focus, or participate fully in class, leading to behavioural issues and missed learning opportunities.
Providing something simple and effective enabled a chance to remove a barrier to success. By making breakfast easy, accessible, and judgement-free, every child has the opportunity to begin the day nourished—in body, mind, and spirit.
The Heart of Breakfast Club: Favourite Parts
Ask anyone at Tolaga Bay Area School about their favourite part of the breakfast club, and the answer is simple: seeing children and teens start the day right. There’s delight in watching students begin their classes with a satisfied grin and a full stomach, ready to engage and learn. The breakfast club is a space of manaakitanga—generosity, care, and respect—where everyone is welcome.
The Champion Behind the Scenes
Every KickStart Breakfast club needs its champion—the behind-the-scenes force that keeps everything running smoothly. At Tolaga Bay, that champion is Kōka Paige. Known affectionately as the ‘Aunty’ of breakfast club, she’s the one who ensures supplies are stocked, fresh, and never wasted.
Pulling the kai received from KickStart Breakfast, KidsCan and Fruit in Schools, Kōka Paige quietly works with teachers to make sure those who most need breakfast are never overlooked. Her superhero powers, as the school says, extend well beyond the kitchen, but her impact here is unmistakable: “The kids love her, we love her—sorting breakfast is just one of her many superhero powers!”
The Classroom Impact: Teachers’ Perspective
Teachers and teacher aides at Tolaga Bay Area School are deeply aware of the benefits KickStart Breakfast brings. The culture is simple: if you’re hungry, go have some Weet-Bix or kai. Breakfast is not an afterthought but integral to the learning day. The result? Students return to class settled, focused, and ready to get on with their mahi. There’s less time managing behaviour, more time spent on learning, and an atmosphere of support and whanaungatanga that radiates through the whole school.
In the words of Principal Nori Parata:
“Ngā tino mihi ki ngā kaitautoko e whakapau kaha ana, e whakarite ana rānei ngā kai me ngā rawa mō tā mātau kapata, me o mātau tēpu parakuīhī hoki. Autaia!”
(“A huge thank you to all those supporters who put in effort and prepare the food and resources for our cupboard and breakfast tables. Awesome!”)
The KickStart Breakfast programme at Tolaga Bay Area School creates a ripple effect—one that meets students where they are, provides nourishment, and builds a sense of community every morning. It shows what’s possible when a school sees an opportunity to provide wrap around support whilst demonstrating kindness and care. Breakfast, here, is more than a meal: it’s the beginning of a better day, every day.