Media Release: 09 November 2016
School Students win competition to Feature on Weet-Bix Packaging
Five primary and intermediate school students from around the country will have their faces pictured on Sanitarium
Weet-Bix boxes this summer, after taking out the winning spots in a national competition.
Inspiring Kiwi kids from Auckland, Feilding, Mount Maunganui and Christchurch will be smiling out from supermarket
shelves around New Zealand from November to February.
The winning contestants range from eight to 12 years old, with interests as diverse as sport, academia and fashion.
“These are such inspiring kids,” says Sanitarium’s Executive General Manager Pierre van Heerden.
“We received a lot of entries from all over the country and here we have five Kiwi kids who choose to go the extra mile
to get moving and make the most of the opportunities presented to them. They are an inspiration to their peers and they
should be very proud of that.
“The campaign was all about promoting Kiwi kids being happy, active and positive. These five kids are great examples of
exactly that.”
This year’s batch of lucky Kiwi kids also features the first child in a wheelchair to pose for the iconic cereal, with
Auckland’s Jaden Movold featuring on one of the boxes.
Jaden, who has spina bifida, has completed an impressive 17 Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlons – including 5 events in a
surgery-shortened season last year.
“I love competing, even though I have challenges. I like competing with able-bodied kids,” he says.
The inspiring 12-year-old doesn’t let anything hold him back from achieving success.
“I believe I am a great role model for all young people to get active,” Jaden said in his competition submission. “I was
born with Spina Bifida, have over 12 medical conditions, and have gone through 22 major surgeries.
“I have experienced a lot of tough times in my life, including hundreds of medical procedures. However, I am very
determined and positive.”
Also featuring on the boxes are Christchurch eight-year-old Katie Veronese; sports-mad Auckland nine-year-old Jude
Holtzhauzen; aspiring Feilding model 12-year-old Alissa Peou; and Mount Maunganui nine-year-old India O’Connell, who
says “I may be small, but I’m mighty!”
The five Kiwi kids to feature on the front and back of the new boxes were chosen based on their stories, age, gender,
nationality and location.
-ENDS-