A commitment to Fair Trade at Kāpiti College

A delicious morning tea of hot chocolate, tea, coffee, baking treats and bananas provided an excellent opportunity for staff and students at Kāpiti College to stop and think for a moment about where the food and beverages that they consume comes from.

While satisfying appetites the morning tea was intended to raise awareness about Fair Trade issues as part of the International Fair Trade fortnight, which took place at the end of May. The Fair Trade movement advocates for decent working conditions and fair prices for farmers and workers in developing countries as well as sustainable practices and environmental protection. It’s about supporting the development of thriving farming and worker communities to have more control over their futures, and protecting the environment in which they live and work.

The morning tea was instigated by the college’s Eco Action Group. Students, supported by staff, baked the range of Fair Trade treats the previous day. The school community could buy them for a koha at the Friday morning tea. All Good Bananas donated a box of fair trade bananas, handed out to students by Freddy the Fair Trade monkey.

As an Enviroschool, the students and teachers saw the link between Fair Trade and the Enviroschools guiding principles of Sustainable Communities & Respect for Diversity of People & Cultures. The delicious morning tea was enjoyed by all, proving to be a brilliant way to bring Fair Trade to the attention of the whole school, at the same time allowing other students and staff to find out more about the workings of the Eco Action group.