18279 (2025). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Associate Minister of Education

18279 (2025). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Associate Minister of Education: Has the Ministry asked schools to weigh their meals to ensure they’re not receiving undersized meals; if so, which schools have been asked?

Hon David Seymour: I am advised by the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) that meal assessments for School Lunch Collective model schools start from Term 2 in line with the Services Agreement. During Term 1, two schools contacted the Ministry with concerns that the meal size did not meet the nutrition standards and these meals were weighed. Meal assessments, including weighing of meals, is standard practice for the Ministry to do for external model schools in previous iterations of the programme. Internal Model and Iwi / Hapū schools have not had meals weighed in previous years as part of meal assessments.