Education Minister David Seymour has announced that the government has found around $107 million a year in savings from the current Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme, some of which will be used to provide free morning tea and lunches to preschoolers.
Until the end of this year, the school lunch program would remain as it was for the 235,000 students at more than 1,000 schools that received it.
A new interim delivery model would start next year, with temporary funding for two years, allowing time for a complete redesign of the school lunch program before more money is spent on it.
From February, up to 10,000 preschoolers in non-profit, low-income community centers would be eligible for free morning tea and lunch five days a week, at a cost of $4 million.
“The first thousand days are crucial for a child's development. I am proud that this government can innovate to help even more children who need it,” said Seymour.
“We are delivering on our promise to treat taxpayers' money with respect.”
While primary school students would continue to receive the same lunches prepared on site or delivered daily from February, an alternative delivery model would begin for students in Year 7 and above.
That program will be purchased in bulk by the government and delivered to schools, which Seymour said would “significantly reduce the cost of the program.”
“Students will get nutritious food that they want to eat. It will consist of the kind of food that thousands of mothers and fathers put in lunchboxes for their children every day – forget quinoa, couscous and hummus, it will be more. like sandwiches and fruit,” Seymour said.
Schools would still have the option to choose what food to order and how many lunches their school needs.
Existing suppliers for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako program would also be eligible to provide food to older year groups, and families who wanted to make their own lunches for their children would be able to do so as well.
An advisory group would be set up by the government this year to work out the logistics and contracting of the new programs, including the nutritional value of the meals provided.
The composite schools with a mix of students from years 0 to 13 will have to use a dual model in 2025 and 2026, with younger students receiving the current lunch in schools program and students in years 7 and above receiving the alternative model .
The 2024 Budget provides $478 million in interim funding for the free lunch program over the next two years.
“Through innovation and embracing commercial expertise, we are delivering a better program, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to the way Labor funded it,” Seymour said.
“The previous government conditioned people to believe that the only way to show your love as a government is to spend more money and employ more people. We think it is better to deliver better outcomes for all New Zealanders to achieve, and those things are not always connected.”
Students at schools that receive taxpayer-funded lunches would also continue to have access to the Kickstart Breakfast and Fruit in Schools programs.