Until last year, Bradford School was supplied with fruit along with healthy lunches for its pupils, but a cost-cutting exercise by the government has forced suppliers to cut back on what they can provide.
Yesterday, in a social media post, principal Emma Knopp asked Dunedin businesses if they would be willing to sponsor fruit for Bradford’s 96 pupils.
From term 1 this year all contributing primary schools (years 0-6) transitioned to the same cost-efficient model as other schools in the healthy lunches programme that the National-led government implemented when it took over in 2025.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour said the new programme would save taxpayers $145million in 2026.
Under the Labour-led government, lunches cost up to $8.68 per student.
Now, the weighted average meal cost across all 10 suppliers across the nation is $3.46.
Unfortunately for Bradford School, that meant its supplier, Subway, could no longer provide a piece of fruit for the pupils enrolled at the school and a part of the programme.
Ms Knopp said there was a ‘‘huge need’’ for the lunches and fruit at the school.
‘‘Lots of our families are really, really struggling.’’
For a lot of children the meal at school was the only reliable one they had every day.
All the fruit provided to the school was eaten or taken home and there was never any waste.
On Wednesday, the pupils got their first hot meal of the year, lasagne, and they were so excited.
However, hungry children did not fill up on the portion sizes provided and often needed a piece of fruit to top off their lunches, Ms Knopp said.
Many of the school’s population were neurodiverse and having fruit helped them learn.
Two businesses had already reached out to the school and were looking to supply two days of fruit a week.
She was looking for other businesses to fill in the other three days, Ms Knopp said.
