Harawira Hone: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Harawira Hone: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 12 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7465. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
10. 
HONE HARAWIRA (Leader—Mana) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Does she accept the finding of the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty that a government funded food programme in low-decile schools is a simple do-able and low-cost solution to help children in poverty learn and achieve at school and the recommendation that Government design and implement such a programme; if not why not? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education) 
: 
 No; because it is neither simple nor low cost. The National Government is already doing a lot in this area. We increased the amount spent on hardship by almost 50 percent from 2008 to 2011. In 2011 we spent $46 million on grants for food parcels. KidsCan has received funding from the Government. That has resulted in 4500 children a day in 223 schools receiving food. We provide a Fruit in Schools scheme which is available to all decile 1 and 2 primary and intermediate schools which results in about 97000 students receiving a piece of fruit each day and we fund $174 million per annum through decile-based resourcing policies. 
Hone Harawira 
: How does the Minister respond to the comments in the latest report of the  
Children’s Social Health Monitor 
 highlighting the fact that tens of thousands of children are being hospitalised for poverty-related illnesses and does she agree that addressing the root causes of poverty will help address the problem she has identified as the one in five children not achieving their full potential at school? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: We know that the two best investments that can be made within schools to raise achievement for five out of five children are the quality of teaching and the quality of leading and of course other causes outside of school must also be addressed and that is why our Government is working on both. 
Hone Harawira 
: How then does the Minister respond to the views of the 300 children consulted as part of the expert advisory group’s work who listed as their top priority the issue of hunger and the importance of food in schools to enabling kids to focus and achieve at school and the very strong support from the 1800-plus individuals and groups who gave feedback to the expert advisory group also recommending Government-funded food in schools programmes? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: I respond by saying that of course it is a concern to our Government and that is why we are working hard in education to raise achievement. That is why my colleague is working really hard in social development to support those families that need support. That is why the rest of this Government is focused on how we build a strong and resilient economy so that we can have sustainable responses to these issues. 
Jacinda Ardern 
: Does she stand by the reason she gave for not supporting food in schools that “The Government is playing its part. In 2011 the Ministry of Social Development spent $62 million on food parcels.” and does not this just prove the point that many families simply do not have enough to get by and are reliant on capped food parcels to survive? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: I stand by my statement that in 2011 $46 million was spent on grants for food parcels and in 2010 it was $60.2 million. I am advised that those are the figures. The point it proves is that our Government is prepared to make additional support available to those families that find it difficult to meet these needs. So yes I do stand by my comments.