The proposed changes sought to replace a provision within the National Administration Guidelines (NAGs), which required school boards to promote healthy food and nutrition for all students.

Submissions showed strong support for strengthening these requirements by adding a duty on primary and secondary schools and kura to provide only healthy drinks. Because of a lack of understanding around the potential barriers and impacts of a healthy drinks' duty on secondary schools, the Government decided to replace the requirements in regulations with no additional duty on schools to provide only healthy drinks.

In August 2022, the previous Government asked us to do more work to gather evidence on how a requirement to provide only healthy drinks in primary and secondary schools could be implemented. We were also asked to work with the Ministry of Health on a possible joint programme focused on food and nutrition in schools. 

Reports on this work were originally due in December 2023. They were delayed until December 2024 to reduce the burden on schools and allow them to focus on other education priorities. In 2024, the Government decided not to progress this work, as it did not align with its priorities at the time. As a result, no further work is planned in this area.