In March 2016, the New Zealand Ministry of Education issued a guideline encouraging schools to consider a ‘water-only’ policy, and provided supporting resources. This national initiative is intended to remove sugary drinks, including fruit juices, from schools and limit drinks to water or unflavoured milk. Following the release of this guideline, these researchers surveyed all 201 schools with primary school-aged children in the Greater Wellington region on the (1) current status of, (2) support needs for, and (3) barriers to or lessons learned from, a ‘water-only’ school policy. Just over one-third (39%; n=78) of schools responded. The majority of responses indicated support for ‘water-only’: 22 (28%) had implemented a policy; 10 (13%) were in the process of doing so; 22 (28%) were considering it; and 12 (15%) were ‘water-only’, but did not have a policy. Twelve schools (15%) were not considering a ‘water-only’ policy. Among barriers reported to implementing a ‘water-only’ policy, the main reasons included lack of community and/or family support. Many schools did not see any barriers beyond the time needed for consultation. Monitoring and communication were identified as key to success. A quarter of schools requested public health nurse support to help the school move towards a ‘water-only’ policy.
