Our young people are paying the price as the National Government cuts school builds, cancels school bus routes, and reduces the school lunches programme, making life harder for many of our families.

Last week, the Government went back on its word to keep the full school lunch programme in primary schools. After downsizing the programme in intermediate and secondary schools in May, it’s now cutting it back for years 0-6 too, despite saying it wouldn’t.

The Government were told changes to the school lunch programme would risk children’s achievement, attendance, nutrition and wellbeing. The Ministry of Education even told them $3 a day was not enough to feed secondary kids properly. They made these cuts anyway.
Now, schools like Naenae College say they won’t be able to deliver the programme next year because they can’t find a supplier to do it for the measly price the programme has been cut to. This Government is setting the school lunches programme up to fail, and schools deserve better.
At the same time, a review into school bus routes means routes around the country are being cancelled or altered, leaving families with no alternatives to get their kids to school. For working parents in rural areas these buses are essential. They also help keep more remote schools open.
Parents, like the ones on the West Coast and in Hawke’s Bay, are now facing hours out of their day to get their young people to and from school – or even longer if they have children in both primary and high school. This just isn’t possible for some families, particularly during busy times on the farm.

Rural kids matter and so do our rural schools. That’s why Labour blocked this review from happening when we were in Government.
These are just the latest in National’s cuts to education and come on top of the $2 billion in school building and maintenance projects cut, cancelled or reduced. They did this last time they were in government too, and many parents and teachers will remember children learning in damp, mouldy classrooms and being taught in gyms and hallways.

It means our community won’t get the facilities we were promised. There has also been a slowdown in construction with almost 12,000 fewer people working in the sector since National took office. Cutting $2 billion from school upgrades while finding $2.9 billion for tax breaks for landlords shows just how wrong their priorities are.

The Government should be doing everything it can to increase attendance and lower costs for caregivers, instead of cutting classrooms, school bus routes and school lunches.

National has proven time and time again that they can’t be trusted to fund education. Young people shouldn’t have to suffer because of this Government’s reckless cuts while landlords and tobacco companies get billions in tax breaks.

Labour’s Education spokesperson,
Hon Jan Tinetti