On this page
About the School Lunch Collective model#
The School Lunch Collective is the supplier to external model schools under the alternative provision model.
Every school day, students from a secondary, intermediate, full primary (Years 0 to 8) and composite (Years 0 to 15) external model schools receive a nutritious lunch from the School Lunch Collective.
The School Lunch Collective is led by Compass Group New Zealand in partnership with Gilmours/Trents (FoodStuffs) and several food manufacturers and suppliers based in communities throughout the country. The number and type of suppliers evolves with the menu over time.
Meal – Nutrition, waste and surplus#
Meal quality#
Menus, daily meal photographs and nutritional information is available on their website.
The School Lunch Collective have dedicated dietitians, nutritionists and chefs on staff to guide the menu and to meet the nutrition standards.
Nutrition standards for Ka Ora, Ka Ako menus
They involve students in sampling new meals as they develop menus each term.
Feedback is very important, and feedback can be provided in the ordering portal, to the area manager or to us.
Schools manage the number of meals based on attendance, including common specialist meals on the ordering portal. This helps to reduce surplus and waste.
Our food – School Lunch Collective
Nutrition and wellbeing – School Lunch Collective
Waste#
The School Lunch Collective is committed to managing waste responsibly and supports the environmental goals of the programme.
The recyclable aluminium meal trays are picked up from schools and, where possible, will be recycled. Other waste is collected and disposed in landfill or recycled where possible.
To help with the recycling of meal trays, we recommend students clean off food waste and remove wrapping before putting them in Go Boxes for pick-up.
Sustainability – School Lunch Collective
You can read more about waste and surplus for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme.
Waste and surplus for the programme
Daily supply of meals#
The School Lunch Collective reports daily on:
- the number of schools serviced
- the number of meals delivered
- percentage of on-time delivery
- percentage of surplus meals.
Distribution of meals at schools#
Schools receive ready-to-eat lunches from the School Lunch Collective. There is no longer a need for staff at schools to make lunches or heat food before serving.
We recognise that schools with large rolls greater than 350 students may need additional support to distribute meals to students. Options for distribution for the remainder of the year are in development.
Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme
Distribution funding grant 2025/2026#
To support the safe and efficient distribution of ready-to-eat lunches, eligible schools on the School Lunch Collective model can apply for distribution funding for Term 3 and 4, 2025.
Eligible schools will be contacted directly to apply, and the distribution funding grant will be reapplied for in Term 1, 2026 for the full year.
The new funding approach extends support to more schools to help deliver lunches safely and effectively. It is based on school type, roll size, and the most efficient distribution method.
Other external model suppliers in the programme are funded to support schools with distribution as a portion of the per meal cost, they currently receive.
You can read more about distribution grant funding on the Ka Ora, Ka Ako website.
Distribution funding – Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme
Meal cost#
The School Lunch Collective receives $3 per meal (240g), per student and 0.84 cents for supplementary food items to year 9+ students.
This includes common special dietary, including:
- Top 10 common allergies, specifically: milk products, egg, peanut, tree nut, sesame, fish, shellfish, kiwifruit, wheat, and soy.
- Common intolerances, specifically: non-celiac gluten sensitivity and lactose intolerance.
- Common religious dietary requirements.
- Ethical dietary requirements: Vegetarian and vegan diets may also be adhered to for religious reasons.
Meals are supplied in 1 size of 240g to maximise the efficiency of production and logistics. This helps keep the cost of meals down.
Supplementary food items, such as fruit, vegetable brownie or yoghurt are delivered alongside the lunches to meet the required nutritional standards.
The Services Agreements and cost of the meals is based on a 2-year term which expire on 31 December 2026.
Lunches for Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)#
Schools organise lunch for students when they are on extracurricular activities or education outside of the school grounds.
The exception is if schools can deliver lunch to the offsite location on the same day the meals arrive.
