Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme

Ka Ora, Ka Ako aims to reduce food insecurity by providing access to a nutritious lunch every day.

The name Ka Ora, Ka Ako is about being healthy and well in order to be in a good place to learn.

In 2019, the Government announced a two-year initiative to explore delivering a free and healthy daily school lunch to Year 1–8 (primary and intermediate aged) students in schools with high levels of disadvantage.

Around 10,000 learners in 42 schools across Bay of Plenty/Waiariki and Hawke’s Bay/Tairāwhiti were the first to get a free school lunch in Term 1 2020. Over 3,000 students in 18 schools and kura across Otago and Southland joined Ka Ora, Ka Ako in Terms 2 and 3. Another 51 schools in Bay of Plenty/Waiariki and Hawke’s Bay/Tairāwhiti began delivering lunches in Term 4 2020.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ka Ora, Ka Ako is being expanded to reach around 215,000 students by the end of 2021, including secondary students. This aims to cushion the blow of COVID-19 impacts on students living in households which may now be experiencing heightened financial stress, job and income losses that can interfere with learning and wellbeing.

This first roll-out of the expansion saw another 70 schools and kura in Bay of Plenty/Waiariki and Hawke’s Bay/Tairāwhiti join the 51 already providing lunches in Term 4. These schools took advantage of established processes to quickly start the lunches programme. Across the rest of the country, an additional 322 schools began providing lunches to around 88,000 learners from the start of Term 1, February 2021.

By the end of 2021, 963 schools and kura will receive lunches for around 25 percent of students.
Expanding the programme is also expected to support job creation and economic recovery from the pandemic. Some 942 jobs have already been generated and it is estimated that around 2,000 jobs will be created by the end of 2021.

The table below details advice provided that relates to this work.

Date of paper

Title 

METIS/Reference number 

1 July 2019

Cabinet Paper: Implementing a free and healthy school lunch prototype for year 1-8 students  [PDF, 1.4 MB]

CAB-19-MIN-0329
9 December 2019

Cabinet Minutes: Update on a Free and Healthy Lunches in School [PDF, 976 KB]

CAB-19-MIN-0651

 

Date of paper

Title 

METIS/Reference number 

20 September 2018

Briefing Note: Food in Schools: Options for Budget 2019 and further work [PDF, 1.3 MB] 

DPMC-2018/19-291
29 October 2018

Briefing Note: Food in Schools: Options for Budget 2019 and approach to designing a New Zealand model  [PDF, 3 MB]

DPMC-2018/19-424
6 December 2018

Briefing Note: Food in Schools: Options to progress policy development  [PDF, 2.5 MB]

DPMC-2018/19-575
18 January 2019 Joint Report: Budget 2019 initiative – free school lunches for all students in the schools with high concentrations of disadvantage [PDF, 11 MB]  1174463
11 February 2019 Aide Memoire: Further information about the Food in Schools Budget 2019 proposal [PDF, 3.6 MB]  DPMC-2018/19-889
27 February 2019  Briefing Note: Confirming the scope and cost of a ‘Free School Lunch Programme’ Budget initiative  [PDF, 1.4 MB] 1778270
11 March 2019 Aide Memoire: Current provision of free school lunch programmes – including sources of funding [PDF, 726 KB]  
29 March 2019 Briefing Note: Options for reducing the cost of a ‘Free School Lunch Programme’ Budget initiative [PDF, 1.3 MB] 1183664
11 April 2019 Briefing Note: Updated advice on a free school lunch programme [PDF, 1.3 MB]  1185263
24 May 2019 Briefing Note: Implementing a free school lunch programme in selected schools [PDF, 10 MB] 1191068
4 June 2019 Briefing Note: Ministerial consultation on the Cabinet Paper Implementing a free and healthy school lunch prototype for Year 1-8 students [PDF, 1.2 MB] 1193455
19 June 2019 Briefing Note: Approval to lodge Cabinet paper: Implementing a free and healthy school lunch prototype for Year 1-8 students [PDF, 2.7 MB]  1195586
24 June 2019 Aide Memoire: Implementing a free and healthy school lunch prototype for Year 1-8 students: Speaking notes and information to support your paper at Social Wellbeing Committee [PDF, 1005 KB] 1196722
1 August 2019 Education Report: School lunch programme: intended approach to implementation during phase one [PDF, 821 KB]  1199575
7 August 2019 Aide Memoire: School Lunch Programme: identified schools for implementation in Term 1, 2020 [PDF, 724 KB] 1201484
23 October 2019 Briefing Note; Free and Healthy School Lunches Programme Update [PDF, 916 KB] 1208555
2 December 2019 Briefing Note: Proposed policy change to extend free and healthy school lunches to year 9-15 students in composite schools [PDF, 6 MB]  1214456

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