The Government has gone back on its word and cut the full school lunch programme in primary schools after saying it wouldn’t.

“Teachers, parents and principals across the country were so relieved to hear primary schools would be able to continue serving lunches to their students, despite the ACT Party’s plan to scrap the programme,” Labour’s education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said.

“Now David Seymour has managed get Cabinet to agree to not only downsize lunches for secondary students, but to do it for all students from years 0-13.

A March Cabinet Paper told the Government changes to the school lunch programme would risk achievement, attendance, nutrition and wellbeing of children, as well as having wider impacts on reducing child poverty, and it has made these changes anyway.

“Naenae College reported it won’t be able to deliver the programme next year because the supplier was unable to provide meals under the new per-meal budget.

“The Ministry of Education also earlier told the Government that $3 a day is not sufficient to feed secondary kids properly.

“It’s baffling as to why Erica Stanford is letting David Seymour go ahead with these changes, given the evidence, reports from teachers, parents and principals about the benefits of the school lunch programme and all their talk about improving attendance.

“A full tummy can make a real difference to a student’s learning and whether they are turning up to school.

“Taking good, healthy food out of the mouths of students, will only see worse outcomes for many young people and put further pressure on families. Cutting $130 million from school lunches, whilst giving $216 million for tobacco companies will not sit right with many New Zealanders.

“National’s frontline cuts are going too far, too fast. They have put hundreds of classrooms builds on hold, are cutting school bus routes for rural communities and are replacing healthy school lunches with low-cost snacks,” Jan Tinetti said.

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