Despite some critics calling out the Government's free lunches in schools initiative as not going far enough in fighting back against poverty, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today she's spoken with children themselves who say it makes a real difference.
It was announced yesterday that free lunches will be rolled out across 30 schools, as the Government looks to extend a programme that would see 21,000 kids given free lunch by 2021. Year 1 to 8 students in the 30 schools are set to receive lunch each day from term one, 2020.
It is starting in 30 schools, and is set to expand.
Ms Ardern, who is also the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction, told TVNZ1's Breakfast today the strategy team got feedback from 6000 students on what would make a difference, some which surprised her.
"I read every postcard that children wrote and I have some of them now framed in my hallway in Premier House, and some of the things really surprised me. They notice, they know when their families are struggling, they want more time with their families as well, so lots of families working part time, extra, multiple part time jobs.
"They actually want time and they also want to be who they are. They do experience bullying, they do experience discrimination, so it gave us a few areas where we didn't have work programmes that we know we need them and that's why we have this plan."
The Government's goal is to halve child poverty rates in 10 years, so Ms Ardern said the scheme is one part of a much wider issue of child poverty in New Zealand.
"Obviously, if you have children living in poverty you have families and whānau on inadequate incomes, so that's the core of the issue that we have to solve," she said.
"Our fundamental focus is lifting those incomes, so increases in minimum wage, increases to the family tax credit because that targets the families we know are on low incomes, we index benefits in the last Budget to wages so that will make a big difference over time."
The scheme kicks off in 30 schools next year.
Ms Ardern said in the past two years, Government had good progress on the issue, but added solving the issue would take time.
"We didn't want children in the meantime going hungry, having their learning affected by not having decent meals, and so that's why we've looked - as well as trying to solve the core of the issue - at also putting food in schools."
The initial roll-out is expected to include 5000 in those 30 schools, then by 2021 about 20,000 children across 120 schools.
Ms Ardern said the programme would look different at each school, meaning they could employ people to make healthy food, work with a local marae or contract a local bakery.
SHARE ME