Why does David Seymour want to cut school lunches? - we find out! - Kea Kids News

Deputy Prime Minister-to-be David Seymour has been in the news lately with his hot takes on issues affecting New Zealand kids. Kea Kids News reporter Rufus is at the Beehive to ask the tough questions.

Act Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister-to-be David Seymour has been talking a lot about ways to cut government costs lately, and some of his ideas could have some big impacts on New Zealand kids. Kea Kids News reporter Rufus buzzed down to the Beehive to chat with Seymour about his opinions on free school lunches and whether race should or should not play into discussions about helping people.

Kea Kids News reporter Rufus buzzed down to the Beehive to chat with David Seymour about his opinions on free school lunches. Photo / Kea Kids News

A lot of kids in New Zealand are experiencing food insecurity - maybe as many as one in five! But what is food insecurity? Think of your five best mates. Now imagine for one of those mates, their family doesn’t have enough money to keep food in the house. Your mate might not know where their next meal will be coming from, or if there will be any snacks when they’re hungry. This is food insecurity, and it isn’t just about being healthy and strong. When someone doesn’t have enough food, it can make them feel worried and sad, and being worried and sad makes it especially tough to focus on learning at school each day.

Kea Kids News reporter Rufus sounded out David Seymour at the Beehive on some topical matters. Photo / Kea Kids News

This is where the government programme Ka Ora, Ka Ako steps in, providing free lunches to over 230,000 kids in selected schools across Aotearoa. At these schools, there are kids who may not need the free lunches because their families can provide for them, but the free lunches are given to them anyway to avoid any kids feeling singled out or whakamā if they are identified as being food insecure. David Seymour says New Zealand doesn’t have the money to continue this programme, though. He says if only six out of every 10 children need the healthy school lunch programme, we can cut it down and the kids who do have money can just buy their own lunch.

Some people agree with David Seymour because they think parents should take care of their kids’ lunches, and they like the idea of fairness for everyone. But others don’t agree. They worry that only helping some families will leave out the ones who really need it but can’t get help easily. They say some people have no money for lunches and are finding life hard, going without even the basics like peanut butter sandwiches and orange juice.

Kea Kids News reporter Rufus buzzed down to the Beehive to chat with Seymour. Photo / Kea Kids News

Another subject landing David in the headlines is whether race should be mentioned in figuring out how the government should spend money. Even though he’s Māori himself, he thinks deciding things based on someone’s race when giving out help isn’t fair, and should not be a factor. The folks who disagree with this recognise how circumstances in our histories continue to make life harder for certain people today, and this must be taken into account to work towards equality for all. Some Māori also believe that ignoring this situation is wrong according to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Queen or “the Crown” and Māori agreed on a long time ago. David wants everyone to vote on this but Māori believe that would not be balanced as there are much fewer Māori in the country than people of other cultures.

This debate isn’t just about school lunches or Māori benefits. It’s also about how we decide who gets help and who doesn’t.

Kea Kids News reporter Rufus buzzed down to the Beehive to chat with David Seymour about his opinions on free school lunches and whether race should play into discussions about helping people. Photo / Kea Kids News

What do you think? Should it be up to families to take care of themselves, or should the Government make sure everyone gets what they need? And how do we make sure everyone is treated fairly, no matter who they are or where they’re from? These are big questions that a lot of grown-ups are talking about, but it’s you kids who are affected the most, so KEA Kids News would like to hear your opinion. Send us an email at keakidsnews@gmail.com and let your voice be heard!

Download free resources for David Seymour here!