5. Question No. 5—Prime MinisterDEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER (Co-Leader—Te Pāti Māori) to the Acting Prime MinisterQuestion No. 5—Prime Minister5. DEBBIE NGAREWA-PACKER (Co-Leader—Te Pāti Māori) to the Acting Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's policies and statements?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Acting Prime Minister): Yes within the context in which they were delivered and unlike some we won't be double-crossing that bridge when we come to it.Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: How is it appropriate for this Government to put a Minister in charge of the Ka Ora Ka Ako free school lunch programme who described it as wasteful" "unaffordable" and a "marketing stunt" while in Opposition without any evidence?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well the reality is that what was said in Opposition is not accountable in this Parliament for the Government. But it's understandable when you see the Treasury commissioned a report when they were in Government—they made a report in July of last year talking about how the whole thing was a massive failure and worse than that massive losses were occasioned by wasted food or food being sent home. It was meant to be food in schools not food in homes. This was careless spending which was never budgeted to go forward into the year we're talking about and that's why Mr Seymour's having to handle this problem.Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: How many schools and tamariki would be impacted by a 30 percent to 50 percent cut to the free school lunches?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: At the moment the Minister is doing work on that going through school after school. But the reality is that there are some very very disturbing reports about the amount of waste. There is surely no one who believes in this programme which was supported across this Parliament who thinks that that sort of waste should remain unaccountable. I know some people in this country because they know nothing about poverty think that sort of waste is good. But out there in the real Māori world and Polynesian world they want the food delivered to schools to be used by those children and not by everybody else who's not entitled to it.Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: Which schools or kura have been consulted regarding potential cuts to the free lunches programme?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well the reality is that the Government has put its programme out there it's gone public on it and it's working its way through it. But it is a result of a July 2023 evaluation that came from Treasury to that Government about which they did precisely nothing.Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: Does he believe that hunger impacts a child's ability to learn and if so will he commit to preserving the school lunch programme given that poverty is not a choice for tamariki?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The reality is that if some people have a memory they'll realise that for decades and decades and decades free lunches have been available at school made by the local community and I'm not being chauvinist here but usually made by the senior girls because they could be trusted. Many of us remember it.Hon Shane Jones: Māori Women's Welfare League.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The Māori Women's Welfare League—all involved. But we will ensure that every cent we spend for the purpose gets to the purpose and does not amount to waste.Rawiri Waititi: What evidence has he seen that military boot camps will work to reduce youth crime?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: The evidence is to be found in a very insightful piece of work that began in 2017 with the Limited Service Volunteers which was so successful under Ron Mark an enlightened Minister of Defence at the time that they decided to enlarge it. The evidence is all there. Ask people like punanga ask people who actually were the head of the military of this country of their understanding. It has transformed Māori lives in particular.Rawiri Waititi: How can he be confident that these boot camps will work when the last time a National Government introduced them in 2008 85 to 87 percent of those in the programme went on to reoffend within two years?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well obviously the present Government has learnt from the past experience learnt from the mistakes has got the record of the Limited Service Volunteers success story and more importantly in the Māori world where so many people are so disconnected this is one utility that will connect them to the rest of the country and make their lives real. We believe as punanga and all those great Māori leaders believe that the military can transform and change people's lives and make them law abiding at the same time."