Hawke’s Bay school lunches improve, Crackles the pig goes hungry

Crackles back when Nūhaka School would donate its uneaten school lunches to the pig's trough.

A northern Hawke’s Bay pig is going hungry now that pupils at the nearby school are finishing their school lunches.

But the principal says there is still room for improvement in the meals.

Nūhaka School principal Raelene McFarlane told Hawke’s Bay Today in March, during Term 1, that most of the meals provided by the School Lunch Collective were “inedible” and were being given to a pig called Crackles instead.

“Somehow, in the reheat process, all the moisture disappears out of it,” she said at the time.

“We have mince that is kind of crunchy, and the peas and carrots are almost dried ... it’s just inedible.”

However, at the end of Term 2, McFarlane is starting to see improvements and the pupils are enjoying their meals - meaning Crackles is missing out.

“The roast chicken and veges is definitely proving to be popular with our kids ... there’s a meatball meal, they enjoy that too.

“We definitely do not feed Crackles.”

McFarlane said none of the lunches provided in Term 2 could be considered a failure.

However, the meals still had “a way to go”, as the heating process continued to leave them dry.

“The meals are meant to have sauces, but they’re all dried up.

“So the meals that can hold these sauces, the kids are eating them, and it’s awesome. It’s great to see.

“There’s still a few things for them to work on, but we’re getting there.”

She would like the School Lunch Collective to find a way to incorporate more fresh food into the meals.

“It’s all hot meals, reheated. But I mean, I don’t think anything’s going to change in that sense with the way that they have to make them.

“We’re making the best of the situation. Our kids, as always, are made to try the food first.”

During lunchtimes, pupils and teachers eat together and the children are made to try the food before going to get their lunchboxes or tucking into fruit and sandwiches that have been donated to the school.

She also commended Compass Group, the key partner of the School Lunch Collective, on its improvement in communication and taking on feedback.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier.