Auckland schools express concern over future of free lunch programme

Libelle Group, a major provider in New Zealand’s Ka Ora, Ka Ako free lunch school programme, has been liquidated.

This has led to concerns among school board members in Auckland about the future reliability of the meals provided.

The School Lunch Collective, which includes Compass Group NZ, Gilmours, and Libelle Group, is responsible for ensuring the programme continues, serving 120,000 students daily.

Maria Aka, who chairs the boards at Māngere College and Favona Primary School, worries that Libelle’s liquidation will impact the Ka Ora programme.

“Overall, we are pleased with how things have been operating. Libelle was one of the key contractors under the Ka Ora programme, and we need better communication and reassurance that all our students will continue to receive meals without disruption.”

She says the college has not received any communication from the Ministry of Education, which is disappointing.

“We believe that clear messaging and updates are critical to maintain confidence in the programme. We need clear and timely assurance that no students will miss out on meals.”

John Pulu, chair of the Ōtāhuhu College board and PMN Tonga host, says they are grateful for the support provided through the free school lunch programme, even with Libelle’s liquidation.

“We have a roll of just over a thousand students. It's a mixed co-ed school, and roughly we get about 600 meals a day to our school. It's a very nice thing to have for our community and our school, taking a bit of pressure off our families as well as our students, offering them some food.”

Maria Aka says better communication from the Ministry of Education is needed to reassure schools that meal services will continue without disruption. Photo/Māngere College

He believes operations will continue normally to support students’ needs. At the start of the school term, the school lunch programme had some challenges.

“It’s like a restaurant, people will either like the food or not like the food. But in our school, we're just super grateful.”

Pulu acknowledges that feedback is important but says they appreciate being able to provide 600 meals at their school.

He says Ōtāhuhu College hasn’t experienced major problems like some other schools reported in the media, such as students getting burned by hot meals.

“We have mainly just teething issues, but nothing major on our side, thankfully.”

Ōtāhuhu College is grateful for the free lunch programme, which provides 600 meals daily to students. Photo/File

“Whatever happens, we are able to adjust and provide support just to make sure that everyone is well fed and everyone’s got energy to continue learning.”

Paul Harvey from The School Lunch Collective says that despite the current difficulties faced by Libelle, their main goal is to provide 120,000 students with nutritious meals every day through the Ka Ora, Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches programme.

He says Compass Group NZ has been brought in to help manage the transition and maintain stability while investigating Libelle’s future. Compass has already started supporting Libelle by ensuring staff are paid and keeping kitchen operations running.

Sean Teddy, head of Operations and Integration at the Ministry of Education, says Libelle has gone into liquidation and that Compass Group NZ will handle meal operations during this time.

He assures that any disruptions will be minimised and that the liquidation process won’t significantly affect lunch services.

“This is a commercial matter between Libelle and Compass NZ. The Ministry will closely monitor the situation to ensure all commitments to school meal delivery are met.”

Dr Gary Bramley, chair of the Auckland Girls' Grammar School (AGGS) board, isn't surprised by Libelle's liquidation.

“We don’t have a permanent provider at the moment. We have two short-term providers, and it doesn’t surprise me that one of the overall providers has gone into liquidation," he says.

"The focus has been all about costs, and the government is trying to drive down expenses, which makes it hard for providers to offer a good-quality product.”

Compass Group NZ is ensuring students continue to receive their lunches despite Libelle Group’s liquidation. Photo/Compass-Group NZ

Bramley says there have been issues this term, including delays, inconsistent meal quality, and logistical problems in distribution.

“A lot of our girls travel from all over the city, with many coming from South Auckland. Having school lunches available is really helpful for them. Not being able to provide them either on time or with food they want to eat has been a challenge,” he says.

Although Libelle is not a provider for Auckland Girls, Bramley says other providers might need to cover for schools impacted by Libelle’s closure, which could strain their resources.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

Photo/Auckland Girls Grammar School Facebook