Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said: “The free and healthy school lunches programme has been helping stop school students go hungry, reducing food insecurity and improving learning since 2020.
“It’s a programme I’m really proud of, and the benefits of it are seen by principals, teachers and parents right across the country. They report improved attendance and better focus, especially in the afternoons as a result of students having a good lunch.
“The programme is estimated to save a family with two kids, on average, around $66 per week and $2,500 per year. It also supports over 2,300 jobs in communities across New Zealand. Under a Labour Government, free and healthy school lunches is here to stay.”
Around 48% of learners (106,560) receiving a free and healthy school lunch are Māori and around 20% (44,400) are Pacific.
Education and Child Poverty Reduction Minister Jan Tinetti added: “Approximately 230,000 students at 995 schools get a healthy lunch every school day – we know that if the programme wasn’t in place there would be many children who would go without.
“Teachers, school trustees and whānau acknowledge the difference the programme makes in the classroom and to the behaviour of students. They know how hard it is for hungry kids to learn. When kids have food in their bellies their attention span is better, their communication skills improve, they’re more focused and there’s a lift in confidence.
“As we mark 100 million lunches being served, I want to acknowledge all the schools, suppliers, whānau, hapu and iwi who have made the free and healthy school lunches programme the huge success that it is today.”