Will’s Word: A ‘refreshed’ school lunch scheme? More like ‘expired’

Let's have a yarn about the absolute cluster that is the school lunch programme.

Don't get me wrong, as I've said time and time again, I was all for making lunches cheaper for kids and making things more efficient for the taxpayer.

But even I have to admit that this so-called “refreshed programme” is a complete disaster. If this is a “refresh”, I'd hate to see “expired”.

The latest is Libelle Group - one of the biggest providers of the school lunch programme - completely imploded yesterday, gone into liquidation.

Now schools are left in lurch, crossing their fingers that the food actually turns up and when it does, as we've seen time and time again, there are problems with it.

Kids aren't expecting five-star dining, but they also shouldn't have to approach their school lunch like it's an episode of Fear Factor.

Now ironically, the Government did this to itself, it slashed costs, squeezed providers, and then acted shocked when one of the biggest providers collapsed.

Also can I just briefly mention just how totally useless the Ministry for Education has been in all of this - they seem to be on an extended lunch break themselves.

Schools are practically screaming for answers and then you've got the Ministry sitting there like, ‘oh this is just a commercial issue between providers’.

I'm sorry, what? This is the Ministry of Education people.

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Meanwhile, teachers are left to deal with the chaos of juggling hungry frustrated kids while also trying to teach.

Last week, the Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, got himself in hot water for suggesting that parents go and make their child a Marmite sandwich, if indeed the parents are complaining about the free food that has been supplied.

I don't back down, I do agree with that sentiment, but that is if a parent is complaining.

That is not the case here though. This latest situation is a provider that said that they could do the job and now look.

Begs the question, what now right? Well I'm sorry to sound harsh, but the Government needs to pull its head out of whatever hole it's been buried in and actually fix the mess.

No more weak excuses, no more half-baked solutions, just proper funding, decent meals, a plan that doesn't fall apart the second someone sneezes.

Does this fall into the idea that the school lunch programme should be scrapped entirely?

Well I'm sure there'll be some that believe that should happen, I'm not saying it should or it shouldn't, we just need solutions.

That's Will's Word.