Story: Family welfare

School milk

School milk

Attempts by the state to ensure the welfare of families included attention to nutrition. From 1937 to 1967 all primary school children received half a pint of milk each day. These boys are drinking their school milk on the verandah of Linwood primary school in the 1940s. While some children enjoyed school milk, others disliked drinking milk that was sometimes warm and smelly. Muriel Bell, Department of Health nutrition officer from 1940, was concerned about the effects of sunlight on milk and set up the use of covered trucks to deliver school milk. She was a lifelong advocate of milk, healthy eating and state intervention directed at better nutrition.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, John Dobrée Pascoe Collection (PAColl-0783)
Reference: 1/4-000033-F
Photograph by John Dobrée Pascoe

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Maureen Baker and Rosemary Du Plessis, 'Family welfare - A model welfare state, 1946–1969', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/26085/school-milk (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Maureen Baker and Rosemary Du Plessis, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 29 Jun 2018