The programme takes a universal approach to minimise stigma, meaning every pupil at the schools will receive a free lunch regardless of parental income.
Among the bigger schools to get lunches are secondary schools such as Hastings Girls' and Hastings Boys' High School, Tamatea High School and William Colenso College.
Ministry of Education deputy secretary sector enablement and support Katrina Casey said the programme was expanded to secondary schools as part of the Budget 2020 Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund.
"The expanded programme aims to help cushion the blow of Covid-19 economic impacts on students living in already socio-economically disadvantaged households and is also expected to support job creation and economic recovery."
Some of the schools will begin serving lunches in term 4 this year, depending on their contracts and negotiations with food suppliers.
One of the schools which will start next term is Onekawa School.
Principal Steve Bloor said the school and the board were "pleasantly surprised" to have been approached by the Government to be part of the programme.
Kids coming to school without lunch isn't a huge issue at the school but the school currently has food available for when this does from happen time to time.
However, the school lunch programme will take away the stigma of children needing a free lunch as all pupils will be given one which Bloor believes is the "main selling point".
He also sees it as a way to take away a financial pressure from parents who may be struggling since Covid-19.
The school did not apply to the Government for the programme but was invited and accepted straight away.
"We were invited to take part, I'm not going to say no to an opportunity to provide all of our children, should they wish, a free and healthy lunch."
Hastings Girls' High School have recruited a chef manager and will also begin free lunches in term 4.
Principal Catherine Bentley and deputy principal operations Christian Pera said the school is "tremendously proud and appreciative" to be selected alongside Hastings Boys' High School, as one of the first secondary schools to be part of the programme.
Bentley said it is not uncommon for some pupils to arrive at school without having had dinner or breakfast.
"We are building a programme that not only provides nourishment, but also a daily celebration of gratitude, food and whanaungatanga," she said.
The schools were chosen as they are included in the 25 per cent of schools and kura around the country where students are facing the greatest socio-economic barriers that could affect access to education, wellbeing and achievement, Casey said.
They were identified using data from the Equity Index which focuses on the socio-economic barriers that can affect access to education, wellbeing and achievement and includes community characteristics and variables in children's lives such as family circumstances, income, benefit dependency, the number of home and school changes and more.
A Ministry of Education spokesperson said there are currently 21 schools in Hawke's Bay/Tairawhiti serving lunches.
The expansion of the school lunch programme will cost $216.7 million in operating and $3.9m in capital expenditure over the next year.
At a maximum per child, per day cost, a lunch is $5 for a child in years 1-8 and $7 for a pupil in secondary school. This covers food, preparation, and delivery and excludes GST.
In February, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited Flaxmere Primary School, one of the current recipient schools, to speak about the programme.
At that time there were 7000 students from 31 schools in Hawke's Bay/Tairāwhiti and Bay of Plenty/Waiariki being fed by the programme.
The programme was first announced in August 2019 and is part of the Government's Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy.
