10594 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Associate Minister of Education

10594 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Associate Minister of Education: Can the Minister confirm that the Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme lunch that a complaint was made about regarding flies in the lunch was not one of the lunches sourced from Australia?

Hon David Seymour: I am advised by the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) that the incident involving “flies in the lunch” of a hot meal was not a meal that was sourced from Australia. This incident has been raised with the Ministry and, as per the standard practice, NZ Food Safety was notified. They are looking into the incident to establish the facts. Given the meal was cooked for 25 minutes in a commercial oven and then transported hot to the school I find it difficult to believe that live flies flew out of the lunch, as claimed.