Cost-effective recipes#

Explore our collection of recipes that students will enjoy.

They are designed to use the programme's wholesaler (Gilmours) pricing and meet the nutrition standards.

Cost-effective recipes

Menu guidance#

A sample menu, along with templates and guidance to submit your termly menu and recipes.

Menu design

Cost-effective recipes quantity calculator#

This calculator helps to calculate the order amounts required to make each recipe based on the school roll numbers.

The quantity calculator is to complement the cost-effective recipes provided. They are not intended for recipes in general and ingredients cannot be added, altered, or removed.

The quantity calculator is downloadable as an Excel spreadsheet. There are a set of instructions on the first tab.

If you have any questions, please contact your Healthy School Lunches senior advisor.

Pre-negotiated wholesale ingredients#

Suppliers and meal providers can source ingredients of your choice.

You’ll have access to our pre-negotiated wholesale pricing for the programme.

You can read about this on the website.

Wholesaler ordering information

Waste and surplus – Waste management plan#

Internal model schools and kura manage their own waste and surplus.

The 'Internal model and head school or kura funding agreement' requires schools and kura in the internal model to have a waste management plan for their lunches programme.

A waste management plan is a written document that outlines how a kura or school manages waste in their lunch programme. Schools may already have an overall waste management plan, and the lunch programme can be included with that existing plan.

It explains how a kura or school minimises waste by limiting what is created, reusing or repurposing materials where possible, recycling what can’t be reused, and clearly identifying what waste is disposed of and where it goes. It can also show what is going well, highlights areas that need improvement as well as short and long-term goals.

A simple waste management plan template is available for kura and schools to use.

You can read more about waste and surplus for the Healthy School Lunches programme.

Healthy School Lunches: About the programme

Online workshops#

Healthy School Lunches nutrition standards#

This online workshop, presented by our programme nutritionists, is designed as a refresher for those already working in school kitchens, and as an overview of the Healthy School Lunches nutrition standards for new staff. The workshop will introduce the nutrition standards and basic principles of nutrition, along with the requirements around meal weights and how foods are classified in the standards. There will be plenty of tips along the way, and time for questions, so come along if you’re new to the programme or need a refresher.

Date: Wednesday 8 April 2026

Time: 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Register for this workshop: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

How to attend the workshops#

If you would like to attend any of the workshops below, email us (cc your Healthy School Lunches senior advisor) with your name, the name of your school or kura, and the workshop/s you would like to attend.

Email: [email protected]

A calendar appointment with a link to the Teams meeting will be sent to you once you have registered.

Introductory business continuity planning workshop#

Term 2, 2026

This workshop covers the basics to develop a BCP that will outline potential disruptions to providing lunches, and options to manage them to ensure lunch continuity.

Date: Tuesday 26 May 2026

Time: 3:30pm to 4:00pm

Introductory waste management planning workshop#

Term 2, 2026

This workshop goes through the basics on waste management planning including developing a simple waste management plan and where to access resources.

Date: Tuesday 2 June 2026

Time: 3:30pm to 4:00pm

Internal model online end-of-term financial reporting#

Term 2, 2026

This workshop is for schools or kura who are receiving their funding automatically. It outlines the online end of term financial reporting process.

It also runs through an Excel Cashbook tool that provides a workbook to input your expenditure throughout the term and auto populates this expenditure onto an end-of-term reporting workbook, saving time.

Date: Tuesday 9 June 2026

Time: 3:30pm to 4:00pm

Employment guidance for internal model schools

Meal providers within the Healthy School Lunches programme need to continue paying staff at least the living wage.

Guide to paying a living wage in contracts [PDF, 25MB]

If staffing changes are needed for internal model schools, contact the New Zealand School Boards Association (NZSBA) for employment advice.

Introductory food safety workshop#

Term 2, 2026

This online workshop is designed for school or kura leadership who are new to the internal model or want a refresher. It introduces key food safety requirements, including an overview of the Food Act 2014, the food control plan and the registration and verification process. It provides information on preventing and how to report food incidents.

Date: Thursday 18 June 2026

Time: 3:30pm to 4:00pm

Support#

For ordering and budgeting help, contact your Healthy School Lunches senior advisor for support. You can also email our team.

Email: [email protected]