GuidesA closer look

Free school lunches: Ka Ora, Ka Ako

What the Healthy School Lunches programme is, how schools are chosen, how lunches are made and delivered, what has changed, and how to find out whether your child's school takes part.

Every statement on this page comes from an official source: Ministry of Education.

What is the programme?

The Ministry of Education says it provides healthy lunches every school day to more than 240,000 students who need them, to support their learning.¹ The Ministry says it knows from research that children's development and learning improve when they are not hungry.²

The programme was first called 'Free and Healthy School Lunches' and was later renamed Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches.³ 'Ka ora, ka ako' means 'when you are well, you can learn'.⁴

In a participating school, every student is offered a meal, not just those who did not bring one.⁵ As of 13 August 2026 there were 1,023 schools in the programme, with over 240,000 students.⁶

Which schools take part, and how are they chosen?

Because funding is limited, the Ministry aims to reach the top 25% of students in the schools and kura that need the most support.⁷ The Ministry uses the Equity Index to decide which schools to include to reach these students.⁸

The Equity Index is reviewed each year.⁹ This sometimes means schools and kura not previously in the programme are invited to join.¹⁰

A school that drops below the cut-off does not lose its lunches. Schools and kura that were getting lunches but fall below the 25% threshold stay in the programme.¹¹

The Ministry acknowledges there are other schools and kura that would benefit from free lunches.¹²

Who makes and delivers the lunches?

There are several delivery models.

External model: lunches are provided by an external supplier.¹³
Internal model: lunches are delivered to students in their own school, and schools in this model can also be a meal provider to other schools in their region.¹⁴
Iwi and hapū model: an iwi-endorsed meal provider prepares and delivers culturally relevant, nutritious meals directly to students.¹⁵

By the Ministry's breakdown, the external model served 618 schools with 176,684 students, the internal model 292 schools with 52,228 students, the iwi and hapū model 67 schools with 9,762 students, and teen parent units and specialist schools made up 46 schools with 3,811 students.¹⁶ The Ministry lists the external-model suppliers by region: the School Lunch Collective is listed as nationwide, with 435 schools, while others, such as Appresso Pro Foods in Auckland North/West, are listed for particular regions.¹⁷

Schools in the programme, by delivery model

1,023 schools All schools in the programme⁶

618 schools External model¹⁶
292 schools Internal model¹⁶
67 schools Iwi and hapū model¹⁶
46 schools Teen parent units and specialist schools¹⁶

The Ministry says the internal model works well for some schools but is not a suitable option for all schools.¹⁸

What is in the lunches?

Lunch providers must follow the same safety standards as any other commercial food provider.¹⁹ Healthy School Lunches must meet nutrition standards developed in consultation with the Ministry of Health, schools and nutrition stakeholders.²⁰ Providers must provide safe options for all children, including those with allergens, intolerances, or ethical or religious diet requirements.²¹

If your child has dietary needs, the school needs to know. If your child has an allergy or special diet, tell the school.²²

Lunches are for students in schools. Schools can give students a second lunch if there is surplus; lunches need to be collected by meal providers and are not for distribution in the community, as that could be a food safety risk.²³

What has changed, and what is decided?

Changes recorded on the Ministry’s pages:

Cabinet made a decision on an 'alternative provision model' on 30 September 2024.²⁴
The alternative provision model was introduced in 2025.²⁵
In October 2025, Cabinet revised the programme's objectives, making its primary purpose to provide lunch for students in need.²⁶
A funding framework for internal model schools was introduced in Term 2 2026, to align them with the other lunch delivery models, which are funded on a per-student, per-meal basis.²⁷

On funding, the Ministry’s pages say the following. The Ministry says the programme is currently funded for 2025, 2026 and 2027.²⁸ On 15 May 2026, the Government announced the programme would continue in 2027.²⁹

How do I find out if my child's school is in it?

The Ministry publishes a downloadable list of the schools and kura included in the programme.³⁰ Talk to your school about how it runs the programme and about your child's needs.³¹

Some schools have other help as well. Some schools and kura work with agencies or charities to support their students, such as KidsCan, the Fruit in Schools programme and Kickstart Breakfast.³²

Sources

Every statement on this page comes from an official page, quoted in full here.

Each numbered statement above is followed here by the words of the official page it comes from. Every quote was checked against its page on 5 October 2026.

“We provide healthy lunches every school day to more than 240,000 students who need them to support their learning and thrive.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“We know from research that children's development and learning improve when they are not hungry.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“First called ‘Free and Healthy School Lunches’, the Healthy School Lunches programme was later renamed Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“(‘ Ka ora, ka ako ’ means ‘when you are well, you can learn’.)”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“Every student in the school is offered a meal, not just those who did not bring one.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“There are 1,023 schools in the programme with over 240,000 students as of 13 August 2026.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“Funding is limited, so we aim to reach the top 25% of students in schools and kura that need the most support.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“We use the Equity Index to: decide which schools we need to include to reach these students”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“The Equity Index is reviewed each year.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“This sometimes means schools and kura not in the school lunches programme before will be invited to join.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“Any schools and kura who were getting lunches but fall below the 25% threshold will still be part of the Healthy School Lunches programme.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“We know there are other schools and kura that would benefit from free lunches.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“The 'external model' is where lunches are provided by an external supplier.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“In the internal delivery model, lunches are delivered to students in their own school. Schools in this model can also be a meal provider to other schools in their region.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“The iwi and hapū model is a delivery approach where an iwi-endorsed meal provider prepares and delivers culturally relevant, nutritious meals directly to students.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“external model – 618 schools with 176,684 students internal model (head school, receiving school and mixed) – 292 schools with 52,228 students iwi hapū model – 67 schools with 9,762 students teen parent units and specialist schools – 46 schools with 3,811 students.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“External model suppliers in the Healthy School Lunches programme are listed below. Supplier School region Number of schools School Lunch Collective Nationwide 435 Appresso Pro Foods Auckland North/West 11”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“While the internal model works well for some schools, it is not a suitable option for all schools.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“Lunch providers must follow the same safety standards as any other commercial food provider.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“Healthy School Lunches are required to meet nutrition standards that have been developed in consultation with the Ministry of Health, schools and nutrition stakeholders.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“They must provide safe options for all children including those with allergens, intolerances, ethical or religious diet requirements.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“If your child has an allergy or special diet, notify your school.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“Lunches are for students in schools. If students want an extra helping, particularly if they are very active, that is great. Schools can provide a second lunch to students if there is surplus. Lunches need to be collected by meal providers. They are not for distribution in the community as it could be a food safety risk.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“Download the 30 September 2024 Cabinet decision on the alternative provision model.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“Our targets for sustainability remained unchanged when the alternative provision model was introduced in 2025.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“In October 2025, Cabinet revised the objectives of the programme, making its primary purpose to provide lunch for students in need”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“This funding framework was introduced in Term 2 2026 to: align internal model schools with other lunch delivery models, which are funded per-student per-meal basis.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“Healthy School Lunches is currently funded for 2025, 2026 and 2027.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“On 15 May 2026, the Government announced the continuation of the Healthy School Lunches programme in 2027.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“Download the list of schools and kura included in the Healthy School Lunches programme.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/hea… ↑
“Talk to your school about how they run the Healthy School Lunches programme and about your child’s needs.”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑
“Some schools and kura work with agencies or charities to support their students. These include: Make a difference – KidsCan Fruit in schools programme – Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand Kai and guidance in schools – Kickstart Breakfast”
Ministry of Education · education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/heal… ↑