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The amount of New Zealand school children who are going hungry every day could number in the tens of thousands according to some researchers.
This conclusion has been reached by extrapolating the data from a 2002 Minstry of Health survey and applying them to 2006 census statistics. Those numbers add up to 83,250 children.
Psychologist Nigel Latta sees serious implications of missing breakfast. He says that the absence of a basic breakfast affects brain function, attention span and leads to negative behaviour patterns.
Health Minister Steve Maharey says the figures are old and outdated. He claims that since 2002 government initiatives like working for families have had a positive impact in this area.
He says 350,000 families are now receiving assistance and 130,000 children have been lifted out of poverty by the programme.
But many schools have taken the initiative and are now offering breakfast programmes.
Finlayson Park Primary School in Manurewa has a roll of almost 900 students and every school day morning they host between 20 and 50 of them for breakfast.
The school, which funds the breakfasts from their own coffers, has seen positive payoffs.
Principal Shirley Maihi says that before the programme there were countless problems.
"A lot of our students were very fidgety, some were displaying very strong and incorrect behaviour traits and also we had alot of sickness and skin problems" she says.
But now though the children are calmer and more focused.
Latta sees huge consequences of such behavioural turnarounds. He says that children who can break the negative cycle of bad behaviour and poor results in school will have more successful futures.
He adds that, among other things, it will mean less violence in later years.
