Auckland schools faced more delays in their free school lunch deliveries due to a problem with ovens, affecting the new programme.
Some schools had to buy their own food to feed students when deliveries arrived late. The School Lunch Collective, which provides the meals, apologised and said the issue had been fixed, but schools might still experience delays.
In some cases, additional food was sent to affected schools, and those that bought meals themselves will be reimbursed. The programme, which delivers 127,000 meals daily, is still in its first week and facing “teething problems,” according to the School Lunch Collective.
Henderson Intermediate School had to order $1,000 worth of pizza for 750 students when their meals were late. Staff at McAuley High School had to buy fruit from a local shop due to uncertainty about the food delivery.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour acknowledged the delays but emphasised that most meals were arriving on time. He expects improvements as the programme continues.
The school lunch programme was first introduced six years ago and was redesigned last year to save $130 million annually. The British company Compass Group now manages it, aiming to provide nutritious meals for about $3 per student.
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