Labour would bring back on-site school lunches from 2028

Labour would bring back the former school lunch programme from Term 1 2028 if it is elected. The commitment covers 244,400 students in 1014 schools already in the scheme. RNZ

It is a return to the earlier way of making the meals. Lunches would be cooked in school kitchens, by iwi and hapū partners or by local caterers. Labour has priced that model at $5 a meal, rising to $6.50 for students in years 9 to 13.

What Labour would change

The policy is a reinstatement, not a new entitlement. No extra schools would be added. The change is how the food is prepared and who supplies it.

That is a change in purchasing. The current Healthy School Lunches programme uses a mix of large-scale central supply and outside contractors. Labour would shift that volume back to on-site kitchens, iwi and hapū providers and local caterers.

The $5 figure sits within that choice. Labour says the higher $6.50 rate for years 9 to 13 allows for bigger portions and higher costs for older students.

Labour has linked the policy to its wider cost of living plan. That plan includes a promise to bring back cancelled rural school bus routes. Labour says where a route cannot be brought back, it would work with rural communities and local councils to find another option.

The money and the status quo

Labour's fiscal plan — its set of Budget costings — puts aside $146.2 million in 2027/28, $295.4 million in 2028/29 and $149.2 million in 2029/30 to keep funding the existing school lunch programme. The spending is weighted to the first full school year. Term 1 2028 falls in the 2027/28 financial year. The full-year cost falls in 2028/29.

The starting point is now clear. The Government has put $212 million into keeping the Healthy School Lunches programme as it is for another year, through 2027. RNZ

That extension sets up the handover. An incoming minister would inherit funded lunches through 2027. The question from 2028 is what delivery costs and how it is funded, not whether lunches exist.

The history matters for the Budget line. Labour claimed a win for its campaigning in May 2024 when the Government agreed to keep and fund free school lunches. Associate Education Minister David Seymour had promised $478 million for a redesign. Stuff

Under that redesign plan, primary students kept the lunches as provided until 2026. The redesign that followed cut the cost per meal and centralised parts of supply, like moving from many local kitchens to fewer large suppliers. Labour now proposes to reverse that change while keeping the same number of schools.

Greens, buses and coalition arithmetic

The Green Party would go further on coverage. Its election policy would restore the Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme, with lunches made through schools or local providers. It would then expand it to about 400 more schools.

The Greens say that expansion would give a lunch each day to 150,000 more children. Labour would hold coverage at 244,400 students and change the kitchen. The Greens would add schools and meals.

The rural bus promise sits separately but is part of the same pitch. School transport is Vote Education spending, which means money Parliament approves for education and the Ministry of Education administers. Restoring a route is straightforward where buses and drivers are still available. Finding another option with councils and communities is slower. It needs shared funding, route planning and decisions on who qualifies.

The broader context here is negotiation as much as Budget. On these numbers Labour and the Greens are not describing the same programme after 2028. Labour keeps coverage flat and moves supply back to local kitchens. The Greens add about 400 schools and 150,000 daily meals through a similar local model. Any talks after the election would need to agree on coverage, cost per meal and future funding.

Looking at what this means for delivery, the pressure is on capacity. School kitchens, iwi and hapū partners and local caterers would need to be ready by Term 1 2028. Contracts, food safety approvals, staff and kitchen buildings would need to be sorted through 2027. The Government's decision to hold the current model for 2027 gives a steady handover year. It also leaves the rebuild to the next term.

In my view, the fiscal plan shows where to look next. Watch the 2028/29 line, the $295.4 million figure, and whether it is set as a fixed per-meal amount or a flexible total. Watch whether the secondary rate is funded separately. And watch how rural transport is costed, because bringing back a route and brokering a local alternative carry very different costs.