Owner operator of Carlton Gore's Pita Pit Hiren Patel has provided over 100,000 healthy lunches for Auckland Girls' Grammar as part of the Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme over the past two years, and has now also donated a suite of new sports kit in an effort to encourage students to bolster their healthy eating habits with outdoor and device-free play.

The incredible donation of 50 sports balls to their AGGS Sports Centre is a fantastic encouragement for the students to not only eat healthy, but to get active and thrive in the classroom.

The Auckland school, alongside twenty others in the region, receives lunches from Pita Pit as part of the Ministry of Education’s Ka Ora Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches programme, Committed to being a fresh and healthy grab and go alternative, Pita Pit also wants to encourage and ‘level the playground’ across the motu, so have sourced 1,200 sports balls to distribute at primary, intermediate, and senior schools and kura.

Duane Dalton, Pita Pit New Zealand CEO and chair of the Tania Dalton Foundation in honour of his late wife, is eager to see even more Kiwi kids bolster their healthy eating habits with outdoor and device-free play and works with the foundation to provide the sports gear.

“Giving kids the means to make healthier choices for their bodies not only sets them up for a great day at school, but for a better future as well. We’re always keen to help more schools.”

“The healthy school lunches programme has made such a significant impact to guaranteeing kids have the nutrients they need on the daily, and with the addition of sports gear we’re hoping to play a big part in these kids’ focus and success in the classroom,” says Duane.

Pita Pit’s involvement in the school lunch programme dates back to 2019, where a successful pilot in 2020 for Rotorua and Invercargill schools meant the company was well equipped to become a supplier for the government’s healthy school lunch programme from 2020 onwards.

School selection into the Ka Ora Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches programme is determined by an equity index, with all children at a school receiving healthy lunches to remove the stigma often associated with needing a helping hand. The Ministry of Education says the programme aims to reduce food insecurity for all kids by supplying nutritious meals that set kids up to learn well.

“It’s a programme well worth getting involved in, the Ministry of Education’s Ka Ora Ka Ako team have done a fantastic job identifying kura and schools so kids get a solid lunch and remove nutrition insecurities to see them through the school day.

“I’d encourage all schools with a need to contact their MoE Senior Advisor to discuss their options, or we can assist with that communication process too. We have a dedicated team with extensive knowledge on menu options, dietary requirements, and general logistics who can offer help with your decision making,” says Duane.

Following Pita Pit’s “better for you” food philosophy, the lunches are developed by an in-house chef to meet the government guidelines and fuel Kiwi kids. Meals low in saturated fat, salt and added sugars plus a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and salads can be highly customised based on student requirements and to minimise landfill wastage – a key sustainability commitment for Pita Pit.

Franchisee Hiren Patel from Carlton Gore Pita Pit is thrilled to present its local school with the equipment themselves, along with healthy lunches for the tamariki. A founding partner of the Tania Dalton Foundation, Pita Pit has surpassed half a million dollars in sports equipment donations to schools since the charity’s inception in 2017.

Pita Pit
123 Carlton Gore Road
Newmarket