Two Eastern Bay of Plenty schools are receiving a Tauranga-made gift along with fruit funding to help fight a major health issue in their community.

Children from Te Kura o Te Whanau-a-Apanui at Omaio, 53 kilometres east of Opotiki, and Te Kura Mana Maori o Whangaparaoa at the foot of Mt Tihirau, will spend a day learning how to tackle type 2 diabetes.

The education programme, developed and funded by kiwifruit marketers Zespri, is happening on the back of a pilot project delivered to Arataki Primary School in Mount Maunganui late last year.

Zespri's Amy Porter says the Arataki project was such a success, her team will head along the coast to deliver a similar programme including a free healthy breakfast, community games and free blood sugar testing.

'We'll also be having science and health career discussions with older students,” says Amy, 'and we'll create a bilingual calendar with the children.”

They'll also take some very special koha - a bilingual book on diabetes that was illustrated by Arataki Primary School students. In total, 60 of the books will be given to the Te Kaha children, with a personal note from the young illustrators.

The project began last year with a conversation between Amy and Zespri scientist Dr Juliet Ansell. It was prompted by statistics that showed Maori and Pacific Islanders have a highly-elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Maori are 50 per cent more likely than non-Maori to get this preventable form of the disease, and the discussion moved on to things they could do to educate and help.

With kiwifruit particularly good at regulating blood sugar levels, the conversation, which sprang from Juliet's health science research, quickly spread beyond Zespri.

'There's nothing inevitable about this disease,” she says, 'and we wanted to get the prevention message across to younger kids and teach them how to avoid it themselves and talk with their whanau about staying healthy.”

Health researcher Dr Anna Rolleston, who is director of the Tauranga-based Centre For Health, became involved as an advisor. Her staff are also involved in next week's events.

Amy says the classroom sets of books will help Te Kaha children understand type 2 diabetes, and whanau will also be invited to participate and be tested.

'One of the lovely things about this project is the goodwill we've seen from local volunteers who have stepped in to help with cooking or running the community day,” she says.

'When we approached other companies for support with the breakfast, they were genuine and willing. Harroways donated oats, Fonterra gave milk and Dole has supplied bananas.”

The activity week encompasses World Diabetes Day on November 14.

Mia Ford and Keita Chase of Te Kura Mana Maori o Whangaparaoa with their copies of Maia the Brave. Photo: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media.