11. Question No. 11—EducationJAN TINETTI (Labour) to the Minister of EducationQuestion No. 11—Education11. JAN TINETTI (Labour) to the Minister of Education: What action has the Government taken to ensure that New Zealand's most vulnerable children will receive a healthy school lunch?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Education): The Wellbeing Budget of 2020 funds the expansion of the free and healthy school lunch programme to 200000 New Zealand children. This means that once it's fully rolled out one in four schoolchildren in New Zealand will receive a free healthy school lunch every day. We know that kids with full tummies tend to concentrate better they're normally better behaved and of course they learn more. The Government's model gives flexibility to schools to decide whether or not to deliver the lunches themselves or to outsource to an external supplier. We know that the schools and communities are best placed to understand what their children need.Jan Tinetti: How will the expansion of the free and healthy school lunch programme to one in four New Zealand school students create jobs?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Based on what we already know from the way the programme is working in the schools that have been taking part so far—either making the lunches themselves or outsourcing to an external supplier—it's estimated that around 2000 additional jobs in local communities could be created through the expansion of this programme. Several schools have employed whānau to help make and distribute lunches on school sites. In other areas locals have been employed by locally based suppliers providing lunches. For example 65 people have been employed in the Bay of Plenty region across 21 schools currently in the programme. As an example at Murupara Area School that began serving lunches in late January this year the school lunches are provided by Manawa Munchies a business set up specifically for this purpose and it employs three local people.Jan Tinetti: What are the next steps for the expansion of the free and healthy school lunch programme to one in four New Zealand school students?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Detailed planning is under way to support the scaling up of the programme. It continues to be rolled out and the next group in the South Island will be announced shortly. The phased expansion of the lunches will begin during term 4 this year reaching a further 50000 students and increasing to up to 200000 students by term 3 in 2021.Jan Tinetti: What reports has he seen about the free and healthy school lunch programme for the nearly 8000 children who currently receive it?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The principal of Kimi Ora Community School in Flaxmere said that the programme had had a huge impact on kids' learning and also on kids' mental wellbeing. Because all students at the primary school receive a lunch it removed the stigma of poverty; it's also reduced truancy at their school because families of children used to be embarrassed to send their children to school if they could not provide them with a lunch. Principals from Sunset Primary School and Kaitao Intermediate School in Rotorua have said that they're seeing higher attendance and better behaviour with their free school lunches. Sunset Primary School is also providing free stationery as a result of the Government's school donations scheme.Hon Grant Robertson: Excellent.SPEAKER: Yes and as was indicated to me it's not always a question of poverty the question of whether people have lunch but it does impact on their behaviour. The Minister of Finance didn't have his lunch—that's the point that I'm making—and it's been clear to everyone in the House.