Auditor-General launches probe into school lunches
The Auditor-General's office has announced plans for an inquiry into the school lunch programme that has drawn criticism since a revamp.
It will cover Ministry of Education planning, procurement and contract implementation under David Seymour's alternative model.
Terms of reference for the inquiry set out its scope:
• how the school lunch model was developed and how the total amount of the contract and the amount that would be paid for each school lunch was determined;
• how the providers were selected and what due diligence was carried out;
• how decisions were made to expand the scope of the Model to include some Year 0-6 students as well as Years 7-13, and what the Ministry told providers affected by this decision;
• how the Ministry assured itself that the new school lunch model would deliver lunches of similar nutritional value and food standards as Cabinet had agreed;
• the process for selecting the provider for the Early Childhood Food Programme, including the funding mechanism used (a conditional grant);
• how the Ministry planned to monitor, and has monitored, the provider's performance;
• how actual or perceived conflicts of interest have been managed; and
• any other related matters the Auditor-General considers relevant or desirable to inquire into.
However, other matters would be out of scope, including:
• Policy decisions underpinning the Alternative Provision Model
• The decision to provide school lunches
• The merits of any decision to select a particular provider
The Auditor-General's office said it decided to investigate because of concerns raised both in the media, and directly with them.
"Concerns have been raised, both in the media and with us directly, about aspects of the revised lunch programme, including the selection of the providers, the quality, timeliness, and appropriateness of the food provided, how the cost of each lunch was determined, and what the Ministry communicated with previous providers," it said.
"Because of the importance of these services, the concerns we have heard, and the amount of funding involved, we have decided to carry out an inquiry."
In its announcement, the Office noted the ministry had in October last year awarded a two-year contract to the School Lunch Collective, reportedly for $85 million a year, under which lunches would be provided for $3 each. The ministry was also reported to have paid a further $8.9m to the collective for Year 9 and older students.
Libelle Group, which had been part of the School Lunch Collective, went into liquidation on 11 March 2025.
A further $4m grant was provided to KidsCan for a food programme in Early Childhood Education services.
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