About the funding#

Lunches for children aged 2 to 5 in eligible early learning services will be provided from March 2025.

We commenced work on the ECE Food Programme procurement model in mid-May 2024 following the release of a Cabinet paper on 15 April 2024. You can see the paper on the page below.

Healthy School Lunches information releases

Based on the features outlined in the Cabinet paper, the funding would be provided to a not-for-profit organisation with:

• existing relationships
• logistical delivery networks
• nutritional acumen and other proven expertise to manage the purchase and distribution of food ingredients to low equity early learning services.

We identified a conditional grant was the most appropriate funding arrangement.

Chosen food supplier#

A robust process was followed and KidsCan fully met the criteria for the conditional grant funding. The decision was made on the following basis:

• KidsCan are the only national not-for-profit/non-government provider of food to early learning services at scale.
• They currently have existing relationships with 205 services and have existing contracts with food ingredient suppliers, delivery networks in places and well-established operating systems.
• KidsCan has been supporting learners since 2005. They already run a national programme that feeds over 5000 early learners every day.

Find out more information about KidsCan.

KidsCan – NZ Children's Charity and Charitable Trust

How long the programme will run for#

KidsCan contacted eligible early learning services in late 2024 and early 2025. A staggered approach is being used to implement the programme until the 10,000 children threshold is reached. This allows time for KidsCan to work with eligible early learning services on things such as:

• food safety training
• resourcing and
• kitchen readiness.

The programme is funded until the end of 2026. Decisions on future funding will be made ahead of Budget 2026.