NZEI Te Riu Roa welcomes the announcement today of a free school lunch scheme trial.
NZEI Te Riu Roa President Lynda Stuart says that teachers and school staff see first hand the effects of poverty in
Aotearoa, and the free lunch trial announced by the government today is a step in the right direction.
"Teachers know that hungry kids simply can't learn. Feeding hungry kids at school is a simple but powerful way that we
as a society can counteract our shameful child poverty rate," she says. "We look forward to working with the government
to ensure the trial is a success."
Stuart says that while a free lunch scheme will help to alleviate an immediate symptom of poverty, the bigger challenge
is fixing the underlying causes.
"Ultimately more needs to be done to increase the incomes of families struggling to make ends meet. We look forward to
hearing more from the government on concrete measures - such as fair pay agreements - that will help achieve this,"
Stuart says.