He’s talking about the highly successful 24-year-old Korakonui School stock scheme, which raises from $8000 to as much as $30,000 for the school each year.

“Through the scheme and other fundraising we are able to meet our school’s wish lists, which have included, among other things, employing an extra teacher, building a permanent outdoor covered area, installing a kitchen and creating a resource room.”

Lance is an ‘old boy’ of Korakonui School, which is 15km from Kihikihi. So are Duncan Parrott, Brian Chick and Peter Gallien, all of them past and present members of the Stock Scheme committee.

Meeting at Lance and Melissa’s home on a hillside overlooking the valley and the school, the men munch on Melissa’s scones and explain how the stock scheme works.

It was started in 1992 by Board of Trustee’s members Malcolm Wakefield and Henk Bouma when dairy farmers were asked to donate and raise calves until they were weaned. Then they went on to be grazed by drystock farmers until ready for sale.

The scheme operates pretty much the same way now. Duncan says it is up to the farmers when the animals are sold.

“Each animal has a school ear tag and whatever it achieves when it is sold, goes to the school. “Some animals are kept until they are 18 months old and more, some go earlier,” says Duncan.

The men reckon the cost of the calf and rearing it until ready for sale equates to about $950 of value, all of which is donated, so whatever the animal achieves at auction is a bonus. Brian says in 2016 three-year-old jersey bulls sold for $4000 each, but that was an exceptional price.

Peter says it’s a reflection of how much the community values the school that up to 35 calves can be donated each season. However, this year the school will have about 75 after this November’s pick-up.

Not all of the farmers who donate and rear calves have children at the school, but it’s a mark of the importance of the school to the local community that they want to be involved.

Support for the scheme goes beyond the farmers involved too.

.Korakonui School’s proud old boys and stock scheme supporters are Peter Gallien, Lance Gower with son Owen, Duncan Parrott and Brian Chick.

“Around the end of November about three utes go around the district to make all the pick-ups of that year’s calves that have been reared and they are brought back to my farm,” says Lance.

“From there they are ear-tagged and Bovine Viral Diarrhea tested and drenched before being delivered around the district to the grazing farms.

“We have two major sponsors, Vetora, which look after the BVD testing and Allflex, which supply the ear tags. The trucking companies that transport them to the sale yards usually don’t charge us and auctioneer doesn’t add commission for school stock either.

“We very much appreciate, and are grateful their support of the Korakonui stock scheme.”

Korakonui School Principal Rochelle Inwood says the scheme and the funds it raises are crucial to the school being able to provide the very best of facilities and opportunities for its student. In fact it has playgrounds, classroom facilities and technology which would be the envy of many urban schools.

“The scheme is very much part of what our rural schools is all about. The kindness and generosity of the farmers involved is really special and it’s about more than the money raised. “The sense of pride and ownership in the school reflects how important it is to our community.

“I have worked at other rural schools but not experienced this level of support before.”

Founded in 1911, Korakonui School is a Rural Full Primary School catering for students from Years 1-­8 and has a role of 180 students. The school is so well regarded an enrolment scheme has now been introduced.