Hipkins Chris: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hipkins Chris: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 04 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7003. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
10. 
CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Does she agree with all of the statements the Prime Minister has made regarding food in schools? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Yes I do agree with all the Prime Minister’s statements as everyone does who is ambitious for this country. 
Chris Hipkins 
: Does she stand by the statement that if the Government does not take action to provide food in schools “we are effectively punishing children for the sins of their parents.” or does she stand by the alternative statement that “the fundamental responsibility lies with the parents of those children to feed them.”—the first one made before the National Government was elected and the second one made after? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: Yes both are right and I completely agree because the full statement that was made in 2007 was that we need to “challenge the business community to work with us in backing a programme of providing food in low-decile schools for kids in need.” In fact Fonterra and Sanitarium have stepped up to that challenge and provide 35000 breakfasts a week to 534 schools feeding 22000 students. Since we came into Government in 2009 we have provided $940000 of funding to KidsCan for their Food for Kids programme so both are correct. 
Chris Hipkins 
: Does she stand by the statement: “it’s a fact that kids can’t and don’t learn if they are constantly hungry. Their brains don’t develop properly and they can’t stay focused in the classroom.”; if so exactly what in addition to the funding for KidsCan has the Government done to increase the provision of food in schools? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: This Government has increased and improved the Fruit in Schools programme. When we came in Labour was funding it at $12 million of which almost $6 million was going on administration. We have made it more efficient but we have now—[ 
Interruption 
] We have made it more efficient and we are providing fruit to—let me see—480 decile 1 and 2 schools currently participating being about almost 97000 children. 
Nikki Kaye 
: What is the Government doing in this area? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: First and foremost I would like to acknowledge all the parents and families who work really hard to ensure that their children have the food that they need. What the Government does is supplement that as I have already indicated through the Fruit in Schools scheme—nearly 97000 students—since 2009 and $940000 to KidsCan for 4500 children a day in 223 schools. And we make available through the Ministry of Social Development special-needs grants for families much of which goes on food and which was $46 million in 2011 and of course our Government invests billions in the welfare system. 
Chris Hipkins 
: Is the Minister suggesting that giving a child a piece of fruit at morning tea time is sufficient nutrition for them to be able to maintain their focus on learning during the day? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: As I said this supplements first and foremost what parents families whanau and aiga provide for their children. But in some cases it might be. There are children who do have fruit for breakfast. In fact under the previous administration its Healthy Eating - Healthy Action programme was trying to make our children eat fruit for breakfast. 
Chris Hipkins 
: Why does the Government believe that spending $562000 on sports funding for private schools is more important than fulfilling the Prime Minister’s pre-election promise to provide food in schools for vulnerable kids given that the funding provided for KidsCan is barely half that amount? 
Hon HEKIA PARATA 
: It is not an either/or; we provide both. Why do we think it is legitimate? Because in fact although private schools make up 3.5 percent of our schooling system each year they contribute $168 million net to our education system.