Fruit & Vegetables in Schools
Fruit & Vegetables in Schools (FIS) is a government-funded initiative that provides daily fresh fruit and vegetables to children in low-decile schools/kura. The initiative was piloted in 25 schools in 2004 and grown to reach:
- 21 regions across New Zealand
- 566 schools (around 25% of NZ primary schools/kura)
- Over 125,000 children and staff
- 27,000,000 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every year
The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust supports FIS by providing curriculum-linked resources that support learning with a selection of engaging eBooks and accompanying interactive activities in the areas of germination, composting, physical activity and eating seasonally.
Download the 2024 FIS Fact Sheet here.
Information & Research
School Feedback on Sustainability - 2024
Aorangi School – Rotorua
We do have a compost and worm farm for any peels/cores and there is not much fruit left at the end of the week but if there are apples, we will hold them over for the next week. There is very little wastage with our fruit.
Te Whai Hiringa - Hawkes Bay
We have recycle bins for the scraps. Leftover fruit goes to our pātaka kai and the parents take fruit from there. We don't have any waste.
Kaihu Valley School – Northland
All our scraps go into our pig buckets for the local farmers. If there is any leftover fruit, it goes home with whānau and we see no wastage at all. We have just had a vegetable garden put in and joined up to the Garden to Table programme so we are very happy.