On this page
Cost-effective recipes#
Explore our collection of recipes that students will enjoy. Designed to use the programme's wholesaler (Gilmours) pricing and meet the nutrition standards.
Menu guidance#
A sample menu, along with templates and guidance to submit your termly menu and recipes.
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.
Online workshops#
If you would like to attend any of the Term 1, 2026 workshops below, RSVP to [email protected] (cc. your Healthy School Lunches senior advisor) with your name and the name of your school or kura. A calendar appointment with a link to the Teams meeting will be sent to you once you have RSVP’d.
Internal Model online end of Term financial reporting#
This workshop is for schools and 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 17 February 2026, from 3:30pm to 4:00 pm.
Gilmours online update session#
This session will provide updates on the Gilmours website and cost-effective recipe development to support schools and kura provide nutritious, cost-effective lunches.
Date: Tuesday 24 February 2026, from 3:30pm to 4:00pm.
Introductory Business Continuity Planning (BCP) workshop#
This workshop covers the basics to develop a BCP that will outline potential disruptions to providing lunches, & options to manage them to ensure lunch continuity.
Date: Tuesday 17 March 2026, from 3:30pm to 4:00 pm.
Introductory Waste Management Planning Workshop#
This workshop goes through the basics on waste management planning including developing a simple waste management plan and where to access resources.
Date: Tuesday 24 March 2026, from 3:30pm to 4:00 pm.
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 – Procurement.govt.nz
If staffing changes are needed for internal model schools, contact the New Zealand School Boards Association (NZSBA) for employment advice.
Contributing primary schools – 2026 internal and iwi hapū meal providers#
If you are a meal provider on the internal or iwi and hapū delivery model, you’ll transition to the good value funding rate used by most other internal model schools and, iwi and hapū meal providers in the programme.
Funding for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches programme
Support#
For ordering and budgeting help, contact your Healthy School Lunches senior advisor for support. You can also email our team.
Email: [email protected]
