Schools challenged to become healthier

Media Release
For Immediate Use
20 May 2009

Schools challenged to become healthier

More than one quarter of New Zealand schools should be participating in the popular Healthy Heart Award by the end of the year.

That is the hope of the Heart Foundation as it re-launches the health and wellbeing programme, with a brand new name and stronger focus on physical activity.

From tomorrow the School Food Programme will be known as the Healthy Heart Award for Schools: Tohu Manawa Ora – Kura.

With support from the Ministry of Health, the curriculum-linked initiative was introduced to New Zealand schools in 1989 - with the key aim of improving nutrition and health among school children.

More than 400 schools nationwide are now actively involved in the Healthy Heart Award but that only accounts for 16% of all schools. In contrast, 21% (850) of Early Childhood Centres are now actively involved in a pre-school version of the Healthy Heart Award.

Heart Foundation education spokesperson Anna Martin says there has been a focused redevelopment process to provide schools with the best resources possible.

“The whole aim of this programme is to improve heart health throughout New Zealand and to start that movement, and assist in developing the habits for life needed to support that, we need to be reaching our children,” says Mrs Martin.

“Some of the efforts of the schools from a range of deciles are outstanding and they’ve turned themselves around - proof that the Healthy Heart Award does have a big impact.

“This redeveloped programme is an inclusive one in that it acknowledges the nutrition and health promoting work that schools have achieved, not only in partnership with the Heart Foundation, but also through involvement in a variety of initiatives including Fruit in Schools, Health Promoting Schools, Fuelled4Schools and the Nutrition Fund.

The transition means that the awards now last 18 months, rather than 12, and physical activity is more broadly acknowledged throughout the programme. Schools are presented with awards for increasing levels of achievement as set out in the Healthy Heart Award criteria.

“The programme aligns to the NZ Curriculum (2008-2010), and has also been streamlined with the Food and Beverage Classification System.”

Mrs Martin says the launch of the new Healthy Heart Award programme will be held at Mansell Senior School in Papakura, South Auckland, from 9am tomorrow – May 21.

A feature of the celebration will be a performance by the Heart Foundation’s Jump Rope for Heart demonstration team, Jump Fusion. There will also be a visit to the school’s food technology classroom where students will showcase prepared food using items from their ‘edible garden’.

Mansell Senior School has earned an impressive two Gold Heart Beat Awards from the Heart Foundation’s School Food Programme in the past three years.

ENDS

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