On Monday 19 September, Manawatū College was fortunate enough to have a visit from Terisa Ngobi (Labour MP for Ōtaki), who came to check in on the progress of our school lunch programme since it started in May this year.

It was great to be able to share what has been achieved over the last five months, including a wide range of various successes and positive benefits for our community. Terisa was impressed with the student uptake and participation in the programme, particularly because of the nutritional quality of the food and the fact that nothing gets wasted. The weekly menu is based on student feedback, with meals that are then created from a set of nutritional standards and guidelines to ensure that what is served is healthy.

The lunches on offer at Manawatū College are funded through the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme; a Labour-led initiative that has been delivered in over 950 schools around the country. Our lunch programme has gone from strength to strength this year and we can see the positive impact that a full stomach has on our students and their learning in the classroom. We have secured funding that will allow the continuation of this programme until the end of 2023, but whether or not there will be ongoing funding beyond this point is something that rests with the next government. Our school community is in full support of the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme and we hope that it will continue beyond 2023 so that future students can experience the many benefits for their health, learning and overall well-being; all of which can be directly attributed to this programme.