Food in schools is helping Māori students – so why short change it?

A Ministry of Education report, Nau Mai E Ngā Hua, has found the food in school programmes makes students happier and better learners.

It also specifically benefited Māori students, but it made ALL students happier and better learners, WHILE specifically benefiting Māori students.

It’s almost a perfect solution isn’t it?

A social programme that helps ALL students WHILE specifically benefitting Māori students!

There are not many silver bullets to our societal woes, but public education is one of them.

There are not many silver bullets to truancy, poverty reduction and better behaviour, but free nutritious food in Schools is one of them.

Why mess with something that is culturally appropriate, accessible to everyone AND working?

When it becomes a political issue.

The new Government have slashed the funding by giving the contract to an enormous corporate whose food is minus any of the aroha going into the food produced by Ka Ora, Ka Ako who were providing free nutritious food for 25% of the poorest schools.

I predict this lack of human connection between the student and the food provider will torpedo all the positive benefits the kai produced under the existing Labour Party arrangements.

Cutting costs that benefit Corporations while undermining local jobs, local cultural relevance and the local community to save money because of economic conditions that had nothing to do with the poorest children is disgraceful politics.

Hungry children in a land of plenty deserve better than the cheapest option.

The Political Right know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.