We’re giving an Aquinas shout-out to the student Kura Kai team regularly cooking meals for needy families in our community.

As many as 30 students from Years 7 through 13 have volunteered their spare time to cook bulk meals in the school’s Food Technology kitchen. The meals are then distributed to those in need for the NZ charity Kura Kai.

Driven by the motto ‘whānau cooking for whānau,’ Kura Kai donates freezers to high schools and supports them to get student volunteers involved in cooking much-needed meals.

The Aquinas-Kura Kai partnership was initiated by the 2022 Cultural Committee. This year, it is proudly being continued by Year 13 students Mia Thomas, Sophina Finnimore, Kate Dekker, Ava Sands and Sarah Edwards with support from Matua Mikaere Smith.

The group organise cook-ups in the school kitchen and then delivers the meals out into the community, including to local kaumatua and two charities. The students are using the Kura Kai project as part of a University of Waikato-Tauranga Leadership and Communications project.

Their work was recently highlighted by Kura Kai General Manager, Marie Paterson, who visited the Aquinas Kura Kai leaders last month and commended their fantastic work.

Ka rawe Aquinas Kura Kai team! Awesome leaders and role models.