The Auditor-General has tabled a report in Parliament finding the government's school lunch programme achieved cost savings but failed to adequately monitor performance, with half of meals missing nutrition standards last year.
The investigation was triggered by complaints about lunch quality, timeliness, appropriateness, cost determination and provider selection. The report found the programme was delivering financial savings compared to the previous Labour government's approach, but identified gaps in oversight.
Nutrition compliance and waste
Fifty percent of meals did not meet nutrition standards last year, though the report noted standards improved in terms three and four. The Auditor-General also found meals were increasingly being wasted.
The report raised concerns about how the system was established, including weak contingency planning and last-minute contract changes after signing.
Minister defends cost savings
Associate Education Minister David Seymour criticised the report for examining the current programme without evaluating Labour's previous version.
"I think the Auditor-General is facing some real credibility issues, and I think it's a shame, because it's a really important office in Parliament, but you just have to ask yourself, why would you evaluate the quality after I took over, but not before?" Seymour said.
Seymour told reporters the report prioritised process over outcomes: "You get the feeling from this report that he would be happy if I just kept on spending an extra $360 million so long as we followed the right process."
The government claims $360 million in taxpayer savings from changes to the school lunch programme. Seymour attributed complaints to former Ministry of Education employees and contractors who lost work when delivery was centralised.
"Well, that's fine, but I stand by the fact that we saved $360 million for the taxpayer, that those young New Zealanders won't be paying off in government debt," he said.
Opposition calls for programme overhaul
Labour education spokesperson Ginny Andersen told RNZ the programme exists to ensure children are full and able to learn at school.
"It's shocking that 50 percent of school lunches aren't even meeting nutritional value," Andersen said. She linked poor nutritional value to food waste and said it undermines the programme's core purpose.
Andersen said "the level of waste right now reflects the fact that they're not good quality".
Labour has committed to reinstating fresh, locally made school lunches, acknowledging this approach would cost more than the current system. "We want them to be nutritionally good for children to eat, and we also want to make sure that they are consumed," Andersen said.
The party's proposed scheme would recreate jobs that disappeared when the government cancelled local provider contracts in favour of a corporate delivery model.