January 28, 2013
School breakfast plan sends wrong message
Māori Party co-leader Tariana Turia says the party will back Hone Harawira’s Feed the Kids Bill, even though she doesn’t think it’s a good idea.
The Mana leader’s private bill requiring decile one and two schools to offer their pupils breakfast and lunch will be one of the first pieces of legislation considered when politicians come back from the summer break.
Mrs Turia says it’s an issue that has struck a chord, and led to companies like Fonterra and Sanitarium making donations to voluntary trusts running school meal programmes.
"There isn't a school in the country that doesn't need it and cannot get access to breakfast in school but he wants to legislate for it. We had some doubts about that but we are going to support it because the concept is one that we can't walk away from given the poharatanga of many of our families. The issue for me is moving into the future, do we really want our families not to be giving their tamariki breakfast? No, we don't," she says.
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