The Shortfalls of Cutting Costs with the School Lunch Programme w/ Health Coalition Aotearoa's Dr Kelly Garton: 2 July, 2026

A report from the Auditor-General has found that while the government’s school lunch programme is saving money compared to Labour’s, it has not been able to show if it is delivering on its aims.

Health Coalition Aotearoa h expressed concern about the meals not meeting nutrition standards, meaning they fail to “provide enough energy, protein, grains, and vegetables, ideally covering between a quarter to 30% of what children need in a day, depending on their age.”

The evaluation found that the School Lunch Collective lunches only provide half to two-thirds of the recommended energy and are 40% lower in energy compared to the meals provided in 2022 before the programme changes.

Wire Host Caeden spoke to Dr Kelly Garton, Health Coalition Aotearoa spokesperson and Senior Research Fellow in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, about the report and the impact of cutting costs.