NZEI Te Riu Roa says the Green Party’s plan to restore and expand free school lunches programme will benefit an estimated 170,000 children living in poverty.
“Amid the cost-of-living crisis, nutritious school lunches are a critical lifeline for the 14 per cent of tamariki living in material hardship,” NZEI Te Riu Roa President Ripeka Lessels said.
“Children cannot learn or thrive on an empty stomach. Free and nutritious school lunches are an investment that ensures tamariki are ready to learn.
“We have long asked the government to fix the systemic flaws in its cut-price school lunch programme, which prioritises superficial cost savings over student well-being. The Auditor General’s inquiry exposed that this model, championed by Associate Education Minister David Seymour, serves sub-standard meals, generates massive waste, and undermines learning,” Mrs Lessels said.
Arakura School Principal and NZEI Te Riu Roa Principals’ Council member Tute Mila welcomed the Green Party’s support for in-house school lunch models.
“Our team prepares lunches in-house using produce from our school’s māra kai (food garden). We integrate this into learning to provide a rich, practical education for our students – teaching nutrition, healthy eating, and science.”
ENDS
Background:
The Ministry of Social Development’s Child Poverty in New Zealand Report 2026