The school recalled the lunches, but some had already been eaten by students. Photo: Supplied
This story has been updated to reflect that Compass Group is still on the list of providers chosen to provide lunches to high schools, intermediate schools, and comprehensive schools in 2026.
The principal of a school which served up a contaminated meal from the government's free school lunches programmes says she's hurt by David Seymour's comments against her.
The School Lunch Collective told RNZ it was investigating a "food quality issue" after mouldy mince was served up to students at Haeata Community Campus on Monday.
The Collective represents Compass Group, which was contracted to provide government-funded lunches for the Christchurch school.
David Seymour, who is the Associate Education Minister, spoke to First Up about the lunches on Tuesday morning, and accused the school's principal Peggy Burrows, of being a "media frequent flyer".
"It will be investigated but I also note this particular principal is a frequent flyer in the media complaining about quite a range of government policies... I think people need that context."
In response, Burrows said she refused to get involved in a public stoush but added: "I am an educationist, not a politician. I am here to advocate for this community".
"I must admit I was a little bit hurt to be described in that [manner] from a person who holds a significant portfolio in education and is, at the moment, the deputy prime minister," she said.
"I don't think I've ever met Mr Seymour personally or had a conversation with him."
Haeata Community Campus cafe staff member Elise Darbyshire (left) and principal Peggy Burrows (right). Photo: ADAM BURNS / RNZ
Burrows said children were wary of the lunches, with several students telling RNZ they had been put off trying the meals again.
Year six student Emily said Monday's lunches looked "liquidy" and she saw something mysterious and green.
"It makes me feel disgusted and gross," she said.
Another year six student Tamara said she did not feel like eating a school lunch.
"They just put me off after hearing some have a kind of food poisoning or stuff in them," she said.
"You'd think if they are going give us free meals they would give you good quality meals that aren't going to make you sick."
Year 9 student Alani said she usually ate the lunches if she was hungry, but declared she would never eat them again no matter how starving she was.
Year 7 student Bridie has not been put off the lunches, but said it was clear that many of her classmates were giving them a miss when she took a meal of butter chicken on Tuesday.
"Other people were staring at me, they were like, 'oh look at her she's taking a lunch'. My friends were like, 'Bridie don't, don't', but I ate it and then other people started grabbing them," she said.
Burrows said there had been no jump in absences and no reports of children needing treatment for food poisoning.
New Zealand Food Safety officers visited the school on Tuesday, along with representatives from Compass Group, which was contracted to provide government-funded school lunches.
Burrows said ready-to-eat food was delivered daily around 10am by Compass and Compass took away all left-over food and packaging at the end of the day.
"We have absolutely no responsibility for what happened. We're not shying away from the fact that it has happened but it sits fairly and squarely with Compass," she said.
MPI involved
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), confirmed it would carry out checks of lunches at the school on Tuesday.
Food Safety said it was working with the Ministry of Education and the National Public Health Service to establish the facts.
It said there was no evidence of any wider food safety issue at this stage.
New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said an investigation had begun.
"We are working with the Ministry of Education and the National Public Health Service to establish the facts. There is no evidence at this stage of any wider food safety issue," he said.
Child unwell
The mother of a girl who ate one of the mouldy lunches said she was "appalled" by the situation and her daughter was now unwell.
Rebecca Mckenzie told Morning Report her 12-year-old daughter Aurora ate one of the meals on Monday and was now unwell.
"She is not looking good at the moment. She has a very queasy tummy and a temperature of 39, looking really quite sick, I'll be ringing my doctor once it's open."
Mckenzie said her daughter had eaten just over half of the meal before throwing it out.
"She said her one didn't look mouldy but it tasted very disgusting. She said it looked very undercooked which is quite normal with what they get served there.
"We rely on these meals and to have this is absolutely appalling, but unfortunately David Seymour wanted to cut the budget back and give us these not so nice meals."
Earlier this year, the principal of the Christchurch school asked to get out of a contract with Compass Group following several weeks of problems and "disappointing" service, but this was denied by the government.
Compass was not included on a list of providers chosen by the government to provide primary school lunches in 2026, but associate education minister David Seymour told First Up that Compass would continue to provide lunches to high schools, intermediate schools, and comprehensive schools.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
