The Auditor-General has launched an inquiry into the revamped school lunch programme that has been riddled with problems. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Principals say they will be keeping a close eye on the Auditor-General's inquiry into the revamped school lunch programme that has been riddled with problems.
The Ministry of Education's programme has been under fire since the School Lunch Collective took over provision of lunches to about 430 schools this year, shaving millions off the cost of the scheme.
The watchdog said the inquiry was prompted by concerns raised both in the media and directly with its office.
The lunch scheme was plagued by problems in term one, with criticism of late, inedible, repetitive or nutritionally lacking lunches, and even a case of a lunch containing melted plastic.
Rotorua's Kaitao Intermediate principal Phil Palfrey was pleased there would be an inquiry, but said it had come too late.
He said a review should have taken place before the new system was up and running.
"I actually put the question to Associate Minister of Education David Seymour last week and said, why wasn't there a review done then, and that could've given the savings that were required if that had been audited and checked on prior to making holus-bolus changes which, in my view, and certainly in my school's experience, has been a very unsuccessful journey," he said.
Palfrey said his school of 260 pupils faced problem after problem with the new programme, including lunches being too late, too early or too spicy.
This term meals had been arriving on time but children were refusing to eat them, he said.
"It's the quality of the meals that makes us think that the system still is just not working properly. The issue with us, and it is very sad, is that a least a third of our kids are just returning them. I don't like that, it's not what I envisaged years ago when we wanted this programme to come in," he said.
The Auditor-General's inquiry will cover the Education Ministry's oversight of the lunch programme.
It will examine the ministry's decision-making - including how the model was developed and how providers were selected.
But it will not look into the policy decisions underpinning the model, nor the merits of selecting a particular provider.
In its announcement, the office noted the ministry had in October last year awarded a two-year contract to the School Lunch Collective, reportedly for $85 million a year, under which lunches would be provided for $3 each. The ministry was also reported to have paid a further $8.9m to the collective for Year 9 and older students.
Associate Minister of Education David Seymour at the launch of the revamped programme last year. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Libelle Group, which had been part of the School Lunch Collective, went into liquidation on 11 March 2025.
A further $4 million grant was provided to KidsCan for a food programme in Early Childhood Education services.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour said the inquiry was welcome.
"I actually would like to offer [the Auditor-General] some of the lunches so he can audit them with his mouth, and I think what he's going to find is a programme that has overcome some initial hurdles to deliver great value, very good lunches at half the price of Labour's scheme," he said.
Andy Ashworth is the principal of Murchison Area School, where lunches showed up with melted plastic in them last term.
He was glad an inquiry was happening, and that it would be looking into how the cost of each lunch was determined.
"I don't believe the money being spent, which in theory is $3 per lunch, is a true cost because of the transport and other external factors ... so I would suggest there is more money being spent than $3 per child and if that is the case why don't we go back to a more localised scheme in certain areas, certainly in the rural areas where you can get more bang for your buck," Ashworth said.
He said principals involved in the lunch scheme countrywide would be watching the review with interest.
"It's very much still top of the mind ... I see [the inquiry] as good news, hopefully it will make everybody more accountable and perhaps lead to some positive changes," he said.
The Auditor-General will publish a report once the inquiry is completed and the report has been tabled in Parliament.
The School Lunch Collective declined RNZ's request for an interview.
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