Harawira Hone: General Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Harawira Hone: General Debate 
[Sitting date: 14 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6598. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Leader—Mana) 
: 
 A tena koe Mr Speaker kia ora tatou katoa e te Whare. Hoi no hei timatangia i taku korero me mihi atu ki a koe Su’a e korerohia mai nga korero mo te hunga kore mahi me wa tatou nei whanaunga Maori Pasifika ano hoki kore taea te whai mahi i te mea horekau he mahi kei roto o Aotearoa. No reira mihi atu ki a koe e korero ana i tera korero. 
[ 
Thank you Mr Speaker and greetings to us all in the House. So to begin my address I really acknowledge you Su’a for relating stories to us about those without work and about our Maori relatives and Pasifika relatives as well who are unable to find employment because there are absolutely no jobs here in New Zealand. And so I salute you for making that statement. 
] 
Three months ago the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty released its report in which it said: “Children living in poverty are those who experience deprivation of the material resources and income that is required for them to develop and thrive leaving such children unable to enjoy their rights achieve their full potential and participate as full and equal members of New Zealand society.” It then went on to say that if we use the poverty measure adopted by other developed countries—i.e. of families earning less than 60 percent of median income after housing costs have been deducted—then fully 25 percent or 270000 of New Zealand children could for all practical purposes be said to be living in poverty with many experiencing significant material deprivation. It said that poverty rates for Maori and Pacific Island children are twice as high as for Pakeha kids that Maori and Pacific Island kids are twice as likely to be living in severe and persistent poverty and that child poverty rates in New Zealand are twice as high as they were 30 years ago.  
Although we may choose to argue debate or differ in the way in which we measure poverty I think that if any one of us in this House was to sit back and give full and proper consideration to what the priorities of a good and decent society might be surely the well-being of children would rank at the top or very close to it. That is where I would like to think my Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill fits. What it is is simply a proposal to make sure that kids in our poorer schools get something to eat every day through the provision of fully funded nutritional breakfasts and lunches in all decile 1 and 2 schools in Aotearoa.  
I hear that some social commentators like to talk about child poverty as if it was caused by poor parental choice bad morals or poor work ethics. But there is little hard evidence that poor people mismanage their income any more than those who are better off. In fact research shows that the main causes of poverty lie elsewhere: the lack of jobs low incomes inadequate over-crowded and high-cost housing poorly targeted welfare racism in the labour market a lack of education poor health institutional racism in the New Zealand police force and the judicial system etc. etc. etc.  
What we do know is that local and international evidence confirms that food in schools programmes improve children’s educational outcomes school attendance and classroom behaviour. We know that in 2011 based on analysis of data and experiences of national and international food in schools initiatives the Child Poverty Action Group recommended the introduction of healthy meals in all decile 1 and 2 schools in Aotearoa.  
We know that in 2012 the Children’s Commissioner’s expert advisory group called on the Government to provide a national strategy for food in early childhood education centres and schools in low-decile neighbourhoods. We know that with regard to the high number of decile 1 and 2 schools providing food to students now there is clear evidence of a pressing need for food to be made available on a sustained and secure basis and that food in schools programmes should not have to rely solely on charity and volunteers. Depending on charity particularly in difficult economic times is risky and uncertain as the termination of the Red Cross programme shows. 
I applaud the efforts of all those schools businesses charities and health promotion agencies for their support. Food in schools is a positive practical and simple step to helping to eliminate poverty and I am grateful for the broad support that I have received since putting the bill in the ballot back in August. I welcome the indications of support from other parties in the House for such an initiative. I thank  
Campbell Live 
 for the excellent series it did on food in schools and I look forward to working with my colleagues right across the House to make this bill a reality when it finally comes before Parliament. Kia ora tatou.