Concerns about hungry kids dismissed

"We are working very hard with those schools to ensure they can provide the support for youngsters that deserve it," John Key said. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Prime Minister John Key has dismissed concerns about the amount of money schools are spending on hungry kids, saying the government is working hard to provide support.

The Herald reported in July that schools were digging into their operations budgets, and sometimes relying on donations from staff, to feed children who turned up hungry.

A nationwide survey of lower decile school principals indicated up to 80 per cent of students in the hardest-hit areas were arriving without food - with around half of respondents feeding at least 20 percent of kids each week.

Among the 270 replies to the New Zealand Principals' Federation questionnaire were 70 decile four and five schools, suggesting child poverty is creeping into middle income families.

Principals reported using up to $5000 of their operations grants on feeding children each term and many also paid teacher aides to co-ordinate available programmes or help at breakfast and lunchtime.

The Green Party co-leader James Shaw asked a string of questions about the lack of response to the survey in the House today, and attempted to table an OIA showing there had been no follow-up from ministers about its findings.

Mr Shaw asked Mr Key if he stood by his statement that "only the odd one or two" kids turn up to school without lunch, and if there was enough support for hungry students.

Mr Key said, yes, and that the Government had provided more than 5 million breakfasts through various programmes including work with Fonterra, Sanitarium and Kidscan, and by expanding Fruit in Schools.

"We are working very hard with those schools to ensure they can provide the support for youngsters that deserve it," he said.

Asked if schools should used core education funding on food rather than books and computers, the Prime Minister said had out already outlined the programmes in place and the "record stood for itself."

Mr Shaw then asked, given that 75 percent of the schools said they had to use core operational funding to feed students, were the programmes failing to solve the problems?

The prime minister said the "75 percent" figure was inaccurate, and the speaker moved to the next question.

After Question Time, Mr Shaw said the Greens believed the Government should introduce a fully-funded lunch programme.

"Clearly, the Government's contribution to Fonterra's breakfast programme is not enough if you still have thousands of kids going without lunch and schools dipping into their core education funding to make lunch," he said.

"The Government's tactic is to deny that there is a need in order to justify its decision not to feed hungry kids. We think that the solution lies with the Government and unfortunately they are missing in action. Our kids deserve better."

Earlier his year, two bills aimed at helping hungry kids were voted down in Parliament - one from the Green Party and one from Labour.

At the time, Education Minister Hekia Parata called three schools in a survey, and reported small numbers needing help from each.

Prime Minister John Key used that evidence to say: "Yes, there is an issue where some children come to school without lunch. That number of children is relatively low."