Oruaiti School is going one step further with their nutrition and has added scrambled eggs

to the menu at Breakfast Club.

The school has sourced eight Khaki Campbell ducks and placed them in the school pond. These ducks lay on average five to eight eggs per week; however they are hard to find as free-range ducks drop their eggs all over the school’s 12-acre site.

Rob Arrowsmith, duck champion teacher, was sold on the benefits of duck eggs after discussions with a duck expert.  The school then applied for funding through the Northland Regional Council to purchase the ducks. It made sense as ducks are less maintenance, the school had a pond doing nothing and they produce more eggs, explains Rob.

Duck eggs are also higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in protein, last longer and because of their bigger size, they go further. “The students love the slightly stronger taste of the scrambled eggs and love working together to make it” says Arrowsmith.

Every morning a small group of students feed the ducks, check the rat traps and enter coordinates into a database and search for eggs. Another group collects the eggs, check them for freshness in a bowl of water (if they float they are off) and then cook them up.

The school’s vision is working towards a healthier, sustainable school - they are already doing a great job at reducing packaging in the lunchbox. The school is teaching ‘relating to others’ through showing empathy for the ducks and taking good care of them.

Around five duck eggs coupled with adding some milk and cheese can feed a small serving of scrambled eggs on toast for around 50 students.

Breakfast club is usually held Tuesday to Thursday, however when they get a good haul of eggs, a special breakfast is held!

Students from the school also explain what they have made with the eggs “we made frittatas with the duck eggs and they were popular, heaps of people ate them. We also found 70 eggs over three days: says Tyler, meanwhile Riley explains that his Mum made “three sponge cakes out of the duck eggs”.

Ka pai Oruaiti