Hayes Joanne: Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHayes Joanne: Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 28 May 2014. Volume:699;Page:18467. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JOANNE HAYES (National): Kia ora. I stand to take a call on this bill the Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill. You know you do not need legislation to launch a Government-funded programme to support the delivery of food or meals at schools unless you want the board of trustees to do work other than govern their school—the role they have been put into.I take offence at the fact that people have said that we do not put children at the heart of our policies. Of course we do. Look at the vulnerable children policy that we have provided and theChildren’s Action Plan. Where was Labour when it came to looking after the kids when it ruled for 9 years? It was nowhere. It was absolutely nowhere to be found when it came to looking after our kids. It has been this National Government that has stepped up and put children at the heart of our policies.I just want to talk a little bit about ourKickStart Breakfast programme. Already 85 percent ofdecile 1 schools participate in the Government’sKickStart Breakfast programme. We are a Government that is about a hand up not a handout. We respect what parents’ roles are in raising their children. We respect that and that is why we want to be able to give some support to them but not take away theirmana as a parent raising their children. TheKickStart Breakfast programme is in almost 600 schools and over 25000 children are benefiting from the programme. And not all the children are from poor families indecile 1 anddecile 2 schools; they are from across all schools. This is what this Government is doing. We have responded to the needs of all children.Actually in 2014 National extended theKickStart Breakfast programme to schools of all deciles as I said that wished to participate. It is their choice. It is about choices and that is what this Government is about.In 2013—Tracey Martin: What about the hungry children in the decile 5 schools?JOANNE HAYES: —if Ms Martin would just listen—this Government invested $9.5 million across 5 years towards the breakfast in schools programme. And let me say again Labour never did a thing in its 9 years—nothing nada. Businesses in New Zealand have stepped up. They have stepped up to do their bit for children. Fonterra andSanitarium have providedWeet-Bix and milk in our decile 1 to decile 4 schools.This Government continues to support young kids.KidsCan continues to provide food for 4500 children a day.KidsCan is in 223 schools. That is absolutely amazing. The Fruit in Schools scheme also has received $174 million per annum which results in 97000 students receiving fruit on a daily basis—a daily basis. Opposition members cannot turn their noses up at that. We are doing it. We are doing it for the children of this country.Let us talk about the Tip Top Nourish Our Kids programme which is working withKidsCan. What is it doing? It is making an annual donation of 100000 loaves of bread delivered weekly to primary and intermediate schools decile 1 to decile 4 schools across this country. That is about 7200 children a day being fed by the Tip Top Nourish Our Kids programme.The potential cost of providing school breakfasts and lunches to all pupils in decile 1 and 2 schools is unlikely to be less than $100 million per year. That is a lot of money. The number of full-time equivalent students at the 500 decile 1 and decile 2 schools is approximately 108300 based on the March 2013 roll which is provisional. This includes both primary and secondary school students. When you start to add $5 per day per person per meal we are looking at approximately $100 million a year—$100 million.This Government is continuing to invest in the children of our country. We are looking after their education needs—remember no other Government has; we have—and we are working with various businesses and organisations to ensure that those whoare most vulnerable are receiving the best start to their school day through food in schools programmes and schemes. National does not support this bill.