The 235,000 pupils at low and middle-income schools will continue to receive free lunches under Ka Ora, Ka Ako, Associate Education Minister David Seymour confirmed, although intermediate and high school students will have the option to opt-out.
What’s on the menu will also be overhauled, Seymour said – meaning it’s out with the couscous and quinoa, and in with the sandwiches and fruits.
The Government will be purchasing the meals in bulk to cut costs, with the new model budgeting $3 a meal as opposed to around $8.
However, headlines around the switch-up also focused on the wording of a post to X by Seymour’s ACT Party, which referred to foods such as sushi and quinoa as “woke”.
“We just saved you $107 million on school lunches. Despite the shrieking from the left, we’re not cancelling the programme,” the tweet read on Wednesday.
“We’ll be doing more with less money to feed kids the fruit and sandwiches their parents would, not woke food like quinoa and sushi. Bon appétit.”
“If you don’t get that sushi’s woke, I don’t know how to wake you up,” Seymour doubled down to a reporter.