Fear is high as the free lunches program is under review

Associate Education Minister David Seymour has sparked fear in teaching staff all around the country as he announces a budget review on the government-funded lunch program Ka Ora, Ka Ako. 

Since the start of the program in 2019, it has been aimed at helping schools with the highest level of disadvantages and is hoped to raise student attendance and overall school happiness.

School teaching staff, like Cherry Bertanees from Ngutuawa School, say the program is vital.

“These lunches have allowed students to learn with a full tummy and not have to worry about when their next meal might be.”  

But Seymour does not agree with this, believing that there is no evidence to prove the program helps. He says there are at least 10,000 lunches wasted every day. The Associate Education Minister wants to cut the funding from $325 million annually to half of this figure, which would cause many problems in schools across Aotearoa.