Continued Issues with the School Lunch Programme and Brooke van Velden’s Refusal to Meet With the CTU w/ The ACT Party’s Simon Court: 24 February, 2025

More issues have arisen around the government’s School Lunches programme. 

Multiple schools have raised concerns over whether the lunches are Halal certified. The school lunch collective eventually confirmed that the lunches were ‘Halal friendly’ rather than certified. 

Halal is an Islamic dietary standard referring not only to the food, but the way it is stored and prepared. Without a certification this can not be confirmed. 

David Seymour has responded to concerns by saying  he did not believe the expense of going fully halal certified would be justified. Under the previous system schools were able to choose their providers, letting them use Halal certified kitchens, but now they are left with no choice. 

For their weekly catch up, Producer Evie spoke to the ACT Party’s Simon Court about these continued issues with the programme. 

They also spoke about Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden’s refusal to meet with the Council of Trade Unions, Aotearoa’s largest union organisation.