Eligibility#

The Equity Index is calculated annually. 

The 25% of schools and kura with students most in need of a free lunch are invited to join the programme.

Once enrolled, schools keep their entitlement even if their Equity Index changes. 

Delivery models for the programme#

Three delivery models meet the unique needs of schools and kura:

• The 'external model' is where lunches are provided by an external supplier.
• The 'internal model' is where a school prepares and delivers lunches to students onsite and other schools in their region. Head internal model schools have the facilities and capability to develop menus, prepare meals and manage all aspect of a commercial kitchen, including food control plan, nutrition, financial reporting, staff and waste management.
• The 'iwi and hapū model' is where a school receives lunch from an endorsed local meal provider.

Schools and students for each delivery model#

There are more than 1,015 schools in the programme with over 242,000 students as of 7 November 2025.

The number of students and schools in each delivery model are:

• external contributing primary school model – 199 schools with 52,137 students
• external School Lunch Collective model – 435 schools with 129,045 students
• internal model (head school, receiving school and mixed) – 278 schools with 50,583 students
• iwi and hapū model – 59 schools with 9,144 students
• teen parent units and specialist schools – 44 schools with 3,537 students.

Food safety for the programme#

Food safety is important to us and all our suppliers. We take food safety incidents seriously. All incidents are investigated, and we work closely with New Zealand Food Safety at the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI).

Ministry for Primary Industries

Once the outcome of an incident is known, findings are sent to the school principal.

What to do if there is a food safety incident#

In the unlikely event your school has a food safety incident, it's important you follow the guidance below. You should:

• retain the meal and packaging – it’s important you don’t throw the meal away
• refrigerate the meal to prevent deterioration or bacteria growth – clearly label it “do not use” in the fridge
• if a foreign object has been found in the meal, keep it
• call your school lunch programme senior advisor within 2 hours of the incident taking place.

We will arrange for the meals and any foreign object to be picked up.

If your senior advisor is away, email our team.

Email: [email protected]

Waste and surplus management for the programme#

All meal providers must have plans to reduce waste and manage surplus food, including setting minimisation targets. Our targets for sustainability remained unchanged when the alternative provision model was introduced in 2025.

Where possible, our school lunch suppliers are expected to:

• use reusable, recyclable or certified compostable packaging
• minimise non-recyclable and single-use items
• use collection systems and sustainable choices such as composting food waste and feeding scraps to animals.

Surplus meals are lunches left over at the end of lunch service. Daily meal numbers vary with attendance, so suppliers must respond to feedback and adjust menus accordingly. We allow a reasonable surplus margin to ensure every student receives a meal. 

One supplier, The School Lunch Collective, publishes its daily surplus meal count. See the count on their website's 'Our impact' page.

Our impact – School Lunch Collective

Other suppliers and meal providers report waste through a termly survey.

 If there is a high level of waste or surplus, we work with schools and suppliers to reduce this, such as adjusting the number of meals provided based on student uptake and attendance. 

Suppliers for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches programme#

Download the list of suppliers for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches programme.

Schools in the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches programme#

Download the list of schools and kura included in the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches programme.