The Healthy School Lunches programme has been reviewed by long-time critic David Seymour. Photo / Ministry of Education
The Healthy School Lunches programme has been reviewed by long-time critic David Seymour. Photo / Ministry of Education
Opinion by Lisa Te Morenga
OPINION
With just four weeks until the May 30 Budget, Cabinet will be reviewing and signing off on various bids and proposals – including a cut down version of the Healthy School Lunches programme, Ka Ora, Ka Ako.
The programme has been reviewed by long-time critic Associate EducationMinister David Seymour, who said he wanted to make savings of up to 50 per cent.
Manurewa High School senior students Filimone Vuna and Meletonga Konousi recently spoke to TVNZ’s Q&A about the huge benefits the lunches brought to their fellow students and wider community.
It can’t have been easy to sit in the glare of the lights with a camera trained on their every move and yet Filimone and Meletonga offered a masterclass for leaders everywhere.
With poise, humour and warmth, they spoke about the challenges their school, fellow students and wider community face, and the physical, financial and psychological value of the lunches programme.
They also spoke with incredible generosity of spirit about a minister who couldn’t make time to come and speak to them.
Despite this, there was a substantial cohort on social media that felt compelled to attack Filimone and Meletonga and their peers as “entitled”, and “spoilt” or make degrading comments on their appearance and character. These left me speechless, sad and yes, angry.
Those who take time to anonymously run down these rangatahi are reflecting the attitudes of emboldened politicians who manipulate facts to suit their individualistic, punitive ideology.
They are trying to undermine the values that a majority of Kiwis live by, especially the idea that caring for those who are disadvantaged through no fault of their own is fundamental to a healthy, fair society.
Healthy school lunches – Ka Ora, Ka Ako exemplifies this ethos - sharing resources to awhi and build up future generations, investing in an Aotearoa we all want to live in.
As Manurewa High School Principal Pete Jones said “[Mr Seymour] and everyone else knows that we should be funding healthy kai for our kids.”
“Anything we can do as a society to uplift our people, to support our people, especially the most in need – that’s got to benefit everybody.”
In the case of Healthy School Lunches, the taxpayer-funded resource is healthy meals that meet one-third of the nutrients children require each day.
On the day Q&A visited at Manurewa High School it was brown rice, quinoa, lots of vegetables, chicken and a mushroom sauce.
The nutrients in these meals are essential for immunity to illness and disease, eyesight, bone health and gut function. Lunches high in dietary fibre help control blood sugar and cholesterol to reduce risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
It’s kai that provides for optimal growth, not the cheap foods like white bread, rice, hot chips and noodles that fill empty bellies, but don’t offer much else.
Too many families in New Zealand do not have a real choice in the foods they can provide for their children because of their limited income. Added to this, we are inundated with advertising for unhealthy food and food outlets, which are most pervasive in communities where our poorest families live.
Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Professor Lisa Te Morenga.
Sadly, in this context, we have lost sight of how important nutrition is to all-round wellbeing. Good nutrition now seems to be seen as a “nice to have” or even a luxury item, rather than a fundamental human right.
The recent proposed disestablishment of eight nutrition experts from the Ka Ora, Ka Ako team at the Ministry of Education is a bad omen for the future of this vital programme.
It’s a signal that this Government doesn’t recognise the importance of good nutrition to wellbeing, the success of our learners and indeed our future society.
When Cabinet meets to consider changes to Ka Ora, Ka Ako, I hope they forget about finger-pointing and penny-pinching and instead think about the true cost of down-sizing for the thousands of students that will be affected. I hope they remember these words from Meletonga Konousi.
“Some of the students in our school, they may not say it but having these lunches is probably like the best meal they’ve had in a while. It also gives them a positive outlook on life even if they may be going through struggles personally or with their family financially. It’s kind of like a little reassurance that things will get better for the future.”
Professor Lisa Te Morenga is Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair
