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We’re committed to ensuring every student who needs a lunch gets one, while keeping the programme sustainable and cost-effective.
By working closely with our meal providers, we’ve improved efficiency—so we can serve good value and nutritious lunches to more than 240,000 students every school day.
More about the programme including number of schools, students and suppliers in the programme
The provision of healthy school lunches is currently funded for 2025 and 2026.
Prices exclude GST.
Funding by delivery model#
The School Lunch Collective 2025/2026 #
Terms 1 to 3 2025
$3 per meal, per student
Term 4 2025 and 2026 school year
$3.18 per meal, per student
This includes a 6% per meal inflation adjustment for both 2025 and 2026 to deliver a 240g lunch.
2025/2026 – cost variations
Cost agreement variations to support requested from schools and kura.
- Additional food items for Year 9+ students
Cost: 0.84 cents per student.
Purpose: Add 2 extra items to Year 9+ lunches to meet the 300g nutrition requirement.
Note: No inflation adjustment applies. - Friday waste collection
Cost: $1,095,237 per annum.
Purpose: Removal of lunch waste before the weekend to avoid waste remaining on school grounds. - Cold meals on menu for Term 1, 2026
Cost: $1.02 per standard cold meal, 0.87 cents per dietary cold meal.
Purpose: Covers additional food production and logistics costs to include cold meal options for Term 1.
Contributing primary schools (Year 0 to 6) 2025/2026#
2025
External model – paid to suppliers
Term 4, 2025 per meal, per student price:
- Years 0 to 3 – $6.34
- Years 4 to 8 – $7.41.
Internal model - paid to schools
Term 4, 2025 per meal price:
- Years 0 - 3 student – $5.63
- Years 4 - 8 student – $6.60.
2026
External model - paid to suppliers
Weighted average of $3.46 per meal, per student.
The supplier price points range from $3 to $5 depending on the unique parameters of their region, such as school size, distance required to travel to isolated schools, and cost efficiencies gained.
Internal model - paid to schools
They will receive the same per meal price as other internal model schools as outlined below.
Internal delivery model – 2025/2026#
2025
$4.00 per meal, per student.
2026
$4.51 per student.
This includes 6% annual adjustment for 2025 and 6% for 2026.
Payment in Term 1 is calculated on 100% of the school roll.
Payment in Term 2 is calculated on either a minimum of 90% of the school roll or the actual number of meals delivered if this exceeds 90%.
Small and Isolated funding will continue to be available for eligible schools and kura.
Iwi and hapū delivery models – 2025/2026#
2025
$4.00 per meal, per student.
2026
$4.51 per meal, per student.
This includes 6% adjustment for 2025 and 6% for 2026.
Specialist schools and teen parent units – 2026#
External model – paid to suppliers
In Term 1 2026, the per-meal price, per student:
- Years 0 to 3 – $6.34
- Years 4 to 8 – $7.41
- Years 9 and over – $9.44.
This per-meal price is adjusted as per external model service agreements.
Iwi/hapū model – paid to meal providers
In Term 1, 2026, the per-meal price, per student:
• Years 0 to 3 – $6.34
• Years 4 to 8 – $7.41
• Years 9 and over – $9.44.
This per-meal price is adjusted as per iwi hapū model outcomes agreements.
Internal model - paid to schools
The 2026 per-meal price, per student:
- Years 0 - 3 student – $5.85
- Years 4 - 8 student – $6.85
- Years 9 + student – $8.71.
This per-meal price includes an annual inflation adjustment as per internal model funding agreements.
Small and isolated school funding#
Small and isolated funding supports schools and kura using the internal or iwi hapū model, who because of their location or size, require additional financial support in the provision of school lunches.
The termly funding allocation for small and isolated funding, from Term 4, 2025 is:
- school roll 0 to 15 – $5,790
- school roll 16 to 35 – $4,342.50
- school roll 36 to 80 – $3,474.
This funding is adjusted annually to reflect changes in the living wage. If student roll changes in the March confirmed (actual) roll, this funding may be impacted. We would advise those receiving funding of any changes.
Internal model
Small and isolated funding will be automatically paid for Term 1, 2026 directly to eligible schools (student roll of 80 or less), based on their 2026 provisional roll. Funding for Terms 2, 3, and 4, 2026 will be based on the March confirmed (actual) roll.
Iwi/hapū model
Small and isolated funding for eligible iwi/hapū schools and kura will be paid directly to your iwi/hapū provider for Term 1, 2026. Eligible schools (student roll of 80 or less) is based on the 2026 provisional roll. Funding for Terms 2, 3, and 4, 2026 will be based on the March confirmed (actual) roll.
Complex special dietary funding#
Complex special diets (CSD) are where a student requires a meal that is made just for them, rather than a standard menu or common dietary option.
This could be due to the complex nature or the severity of their condition.
Meal providers receive CSD funding above the meal cost, based on the meal type required. This is available for any students with complex special dietary needs.
Distribution funding 2026#
Schools are assessed individually, taking into account factors such as roll size, the most suitable distribution method for their school type, and the supplier delivery agreement. A change in roll size may impact the level of funding received each term.
Schools can use this funding to hire staff or to work with their supplier to manage effective distribution of meals onsite.
School Lunch Collective model#
Eligible schools and kura already receiving distribution funding in Term 4, 2025 to support onsite lunch distribution will continue to receive funding in term 1, 2026.
Term 1 funding will automatically be paid to schools through Pourato.
From Term 2, schools will be required to reapply for distribution funding for the remainder of 2026. The Ministry will be in contact about the application process.
Contributing primaries – external model schools#
Some contributing primary schools will be eligible for distribution funding each term to support delivery of lunches in the school.
Term 1 funding will automatically be paid to schools through Pourato.
From Term 2, most schools will need to apply for distribution funding for the remainder of 2026. The Ministry will be in contact about the application process well in advance of Term 2.
Distribution funding for some contributing primaries has been negotiated as part of the supplier agreements. These schools do not need to apply for funding for term 2 and beyond.
Maximum termly funding by school type and roll size for 2025–2026#
Lunch distribution case studies#
Case studies for efficient lunch distribution at composite schools, full primary schools, intermediate schools, and secondary schools look at how the funding is used across the different school types and size.
Case study: Efficient lunch distribution for composite schools [PDF, 696KB]
Inflation adjustments#
Since the Healthy School Lunches programme began, the average meal price has been adjusted annually to account for inflation.
Meal provider agreements include provisions for inflation adjustments – upward or downward. This change is subject to negotiation and applied if needed.
The average inflation adjustment for the programme is as follows:
- 2022: 7.0% increase in meal price
- 2023: 7.3% increase in meal price
- 2024: 3.3% increase in meal price
- 2025: 6.15% increase in meal price.
