Campaign Calls On Government For Permanent Fix To School Lunch Programme

Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA) is calling on the Government to create a permanent and consistent school lunch programme so every Kiwi child gets the food they need to learn.

The Government cut the Ka Ora, Ka Ako school lunch programme back at the beginning of this year. The new provider, The School Lunch Collective, won the contract on a $3-a-meal promise and since it took over then meals have shrunk, nutrition has dropped and inedible lunches are wasted.

"Let’s make our School Lunches Programme the best it can be for our kids, with funding that matches the need. Hungry kids don’t learn, and New Zealand can’t afford to let them fall behind," said HCA spokesperson Dr Kelly Garton, a senior research fellow at the University of Auckland. "We know what works - healthy meals served consistently and with dignity."

The current size of the meals are much smaller than servings under the previous model, and nutritionists say this means they likely provide only 14-20 percent of daily energy needs - well below the benchmark of 30 percent for a balanced school lunch.

But there is no regular monitoring or transparent reporting by the Ministry of Education to ensure meals consistently meet nutrition standards.

"Many teachers and principals say the smaller, low-quality lunches are undermining classroom learning," said Garton.

Manurewa High School in South Auckland runs its own kitchen and serves lunches that are larger, nutritionally balanced and eaten.

"New Zealand needs a school lunch system that doesn’t squeeze out smaller, community-based providers and take away local choice, one that doesn’t prioritise large, commercial providers," Manurewa High School Principal Pete Jones said.

"We need a school lunch system that serves lunches that students eat and gives them energy to learn. The programme shouldn’t be a political football."

For many students the school lunch is their main meal of the day. Government funding for the current programme is only until the end of 2026.

Dr Garton said there had been no evidence to back centralising the programme to a few companies whose performance the Ministry of Education had already been warned about.

"We know what Manurewa High School is doing works well - and it’s time for the Government to commit to a model that is fairly funded, locally responsive and centred on children’s needs, not lowest cost," said Garton.

Polling shows New Zealanders want the programme strengthened, not weakened:

• 63% support government-funded school lunches.
• 86% agree the programme stops kids going hungry.
• 82% believe it helps children learn better.

"New Zealanders know that feeding kids properly helps them learn, improves their wellbeing and reduces pressure on families who are really struggling," said Dr Garton.

"The evidence is clear, the original version of the programme was delivering really well. Investing properly in Aotearoa’s Healthy School Lunches Programme Ka Ora, Ka Ako is an investment in our future."

HCA is urging the Government to:

• Secure permanent funding in Vote Education in the Budget so the programme is consistent and permanent. At the moment, the meals are funded until the end of 2026.
• Restore proper nutrition standards and realistic funding - at least $6 per meal.
• Give schools flexibility to choose local suppliers or run their own kitchens.

Background notes:

• Food insecurity: One in four Kiwi children live in households where food runs out sometimes or often.
• Equity: Hunger hits Maori students hardest - almost one in four miss meals weekly, compared to 14% overall.
• International comparison: Most developed countries run universal food-in-schools programmes that meet around a third of daily energy needs - New Zealand’s current $3 model provides only 14-20%.
• Programme history: Ka Ora, Ka Ako launched in 2020 and showed positive results before being downgraded in 2025.

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