New Zealand
NZ Herald Afternoon Headlines | Sunday, October 11, 2026
NZ Herald Afternoon Headlines | National wants jobless Year 11 students in class and the Green Party unveils a $4.9b plan to guarantee youth employment. | Sunday, October 11, 2026
Latest from School lunchbox
Stories and analysis from The Northern Express Herald.
NZ Food Safety points finger at Christchurch school in mouldy lunches probe
The provider, the School Lunch Collective, was cleared of any wider safety issues.
Principal of school at centre of mouldy school lunch fiasco hurt by David Seymour's comments
Mouldy mince was served in Government-funded lunches at Haeata on Monday.
Seymour labels principal at centre of mouldy school lunches a media 'frequent flyer'
The principal has hit back saying the food is delivered daily and leftovers removed.
The man driving 340km a day so kids get fed
The Te Puke father drives more than 340km daily through the Tauranga region.
Are cheese and crackers a healthy school snack? Experts weigh in
'Paying attention to portion sizes and the variety you choose can make a difference.'
The Napier lunch service that's delivered 3.3 million meals to schools
When it started, sausage rolls were the most popular item. Now, it's sushi.
Simple muesli bars to boost kids' energy at school
They're easy to make and are great for filling hungry tummies.
School lunches improve, leaving local pig with smaller meals
Students are now eating their school lunches, leaving less for Crackles the pig.
A look at the Term 3 school lunches with 73% positive feedback
David Seymour said complaints have fallen by 92% since March.
The Conversation: Austerity politics and the real cost of 'savings' in schools
OPINION: NZ's public expense rose from 25.9% of GDP in 1972 to 35.9% in 2022.
Thousands of school meals uneaten in Northland every week
Nationally, 34,878 surplus meals went uneaten for the week of March 28.
Snug as a bug in a lunch: Dead larva found in 'new low' for school meals
Photos show the bug, roughly twice the size of a fingernail, sitting on a potato.
170 formal complaints from schools about lunches programme in first month
Complaints included missed deliveries and menu problems.
Schools reimbursed $76k after school lunch programme mishaps
Northland schools got $2877 as Ministry of Education reimburses more than $76,000.
Māori rights advocate calls out minister over ‘race-baiting’ on school lunches
Tina Ngata criticised Minister Chhour for comments on Māori families.
School lunch provider gobbles up rich Govt contracts
Compass Group has contracts with the public sector worth more than $210 million this year.
‘Stale, frozen, hard, crumbly’: Rotorua students served one bread roll for lunch
The school's co-principal says the menu lacks appeal and results in significant waste.
‘What happens next?’ Calls for local solutions to school lunch problems
Libelle Group's liquidation raises concerns about school lunch programme's stability.
School transforming their 'chicken and chips kids' with healthier lunches
'This programme has been awesome in introducing new tastes and textures.'
Revealed: Pita Pit and Subway were runners-up to school lunch Govt contract
Pita Pit and Subway were runners-up for the revamped school lunch contract.
Quality school lunches: Bay of Islands College leads by example
The Bay of Islands College kitchen team's skills and creativity result in quality lunches.
Officials raised concerns ahead of school lunch contract award
The Ministry said it was 'well aware of previous issues'.
Seymour, Stanford fail again to meet on school lunches amid diary issues
Seymour said the pair 'would get to it'.