KA ORA ka ako
HEALTHY SCHOOL LUNCHES PROGRAMME
The Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches programme aims to reduce food insecurity by providing access to a nutritious lunch in school every day. As of December 2021, over 47 million lunches were served in 921 schools to over 211,000 learners.
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I educatering
SUPPLEMENT 2022
K
a Ora, Ka Ako is offered to schools and kura with students that fall within the highest 25 percent of socio-economic disadvantage nationally and where students face the greatest barriers that can affect access to education, wellbeing and achievement. A range of factors are considered when selecting schools and kura to take part. The main tool used to determine the socioeconomic barriers present in a school’s community is the Ministry of Education Equity Index. This looks at a full basket of factors in a child’s life, not any one factor, to understand the socioeconomic barriers present in a school’s community. For example, family circumstances, income, number of home and school changes, and more. School deciles are not used as a measure of need. Schools and communities are best placed to understand what their students need. Schools and kura can decide whether to make their own lunches or outsource to an external supplier. External suppliers are selected through a tender process via the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS)(external link) platform. Schools and kura choose from a panel of approved suppliers that have met minimum standards of food hygiene, waste management and food preparation. There is no set lunch menu for the programme. Schools and suppliers decide what works best for them. What is included