Thank you for contacting the Office of Hon Erica Stanford, Minister of
Education, Minister of Immigration, Lead Coordination Minister for the
Government's Response to the Royal Commission's Report into Historical
Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, and
Member of Parliament for East Coast Bays.

 
While the Minister considers all correspondence to be important and all
messages are carefully read and considered, it is not always possible to
provide a personal response to every email received.

* If your message is for Minister Stanford’s advice, expresses a
personal view, or if you have copied your email to another Minister
and/or Member of Parliament with more appropriate portfolio
responsibilities, then this will be noted.
* If you are seeking ministerial intervention for an immigration case,
you need to seek this from the Associate Minister of Immigration, Hon
Chris Penk. His email is [email address]. Minister Stanford
is unable to comment on individual cases.
* If you are seeking ministerial intervention with an education matter,
this may be transferred to the Ministry of Education, they can be
contacted at [email address]. Minister Stanford
is unable to comment on individual cases.
* If you are seeking assistance related to historical abuse in state
care, you will need to seek this from the Survivor Experiences Team,
who can be contacted at [email address].
* If you have invited Minister Stanford to an event, then a member of
staff may contact you for more information. 
* If you have made a request for official information then this will be
managed in accordance with the provisions of the Official Information
Act 1982, which may include transfer to a more relevant Minister or
agency.
* If you have made a request under the Privacy Act then this will be
managed in accordance with the principles of the Privacy Act 2020,
which may include transfer to a more relevant Minister or agency.
* If you are a journalist then your request will be referred to the
Press Secretary.  
* If you are a constituent of East Coast Bays your email will be shared
with the Electorate Office.  If you wish to keep up to date on
Electorate News please follow: [1]Erica Stanford (national.org.nz)
* If you are wanting to apply for the Youth Parliament 2025 programme,
please email [2][email address].
* To find out more about Minister Stanford read her [3]biography or
recent [4]statements.

Office of Hon Erica Stanford
Reception +64 4 817 6805 | Ministerial Email
[5][Erica Stanford request email] | Web [6]beehive.govt.nz |
Postal Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18 041, Parliament Buildings,
Wellington 6160, New Zealand

References

Visible links
1. https://ericastanford.national.org.nz/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/bio...
4. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/hon...
5. mailto:[Erica Stanford request email]
6. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/hon...

OIA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Dear Harwood,

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request, received on 15 February 2025, in which you requested the following information:

1. What materials are used for packaging of school lunches? i.e. PP plastic, PET plastic, Aluminum foil, Paper, Cardboard?

2. Are these materials recycled, composed or sent to landfill?

3. If they are recycled or composed, please give general information on where these are sent for processing? considering most councils do not accept aluminum for recycling.

4. If they are are sent to landfill, how much volume is sent to landfill per month?

5. What other alternates have you considered for packaging that doesn't include plastic or aluminum?

Your request will be answered within the provisions of the Official Information Act.

Kind regards,
Office of Hon Erica Stanford

Office of Hon Erica Stanford

MP for East Coast Bays
Minister of Education
Minister of Immigration
Lead Coordination Minister for the Government's Response to the Royal Commission's Report into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions

Website: www.Beehive,govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

Disclaimer: The information in this email (including attachments) is confidential and may be legally privileged. If an addressing or transmission error has misdirected this email, please notify the author by replying to this email and destroy the message. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution is prohibited and may be unlawful.

show quoted sections

Dear Harwood,

On behalf of Hon Erica Stanford, Minister of Education, thank you for your email of 15 February 2025 in which you requested the following information:

1. What materials are used for packaging of school lunches? i.e. PP plastic, PET plastic, Aluminum foil, Paper, Cardboard?

2. Are these materials recycled, composed or sent to landfill?

3. If they are recycled or composed, please give general information on where these are sent for processing? considering most councils do not accept aluminum for recycling.

4. If they are are sent to landfill, how much volume is sent to landfill per month?

5. What other alternates have you considered for packaging that doesn't include plastic or aluminum?

Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
The information you request is more closely connected with the functions of the Associate Minister of Education, Hon David Seymour. As such your request has been transferred to the Associate Minister under section 14(b)(i) of the Official information Act 1982.  You can expect a response directly from Hon David Seymour in due course.

Thank you again for your email.

Office of Hon Erica Stanford

Office of Hon Erica Stanford

MP for East Coast Bays
Minister of Education
Minister of Immigration

Website: www.Beehive,govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

Disclaimer: The information in this email (including attachments) is confidential and may be legally privileged. If an addressing or transmission error has misdirected this email, please notify the author by replying to this email and destroy the message. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution is prohibited and may be unlawful.

show quoted sections

Dear Harwood

 

We refer to your information request of 15 February 2025.

 

Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act).

 

We have determined that the information requested is more closely
connected with the functions of the Ministry of Education. As such, I
have transferred your request to the Ministry of Education in accordance
with section 14(b)(ii) of the Act.

 

You may expect a response from the Ministry of Education directly
concerning your request.

 

Kind regards,

 

 

 

Office of Hon David Seymour

[1]A pink and Deputy Prime Minister (from 31 May 2025)
white emblem
with two women Minister for Regulation
holding flags Associate Minister of Education
Description
automatically Associate Minister of Justice
generated
Associate Minister of Finance

Associate Minister of Health

 

7.6 Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

DSOIA409

 

show quoted sections

Kia ora

 

Thank you for the information request below which was transferred from
Minister Seymour to the Ministry of Education on the 19^th of February
2025.  The Ministry will consider and respond to your request in
accordance with the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).

 

Under section 15(1) of the Act, we are required to make and inform you of
our decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any
case not later than 20 working days after the day on which your request is
received.  You can therefore expect to receive our decision on your
request on or before the 19^th of March 2025.  If more than 20 working
days are needed due to the potential workload and/or consultations
involved in answering your request, we will notify you accordingly.

 

In the interim, if you have any questions about your request, please email
[1][email address].

 

Ngā mihi

 

Enquiries National Team | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of
Education | MC
[2]education.govt.nz
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
[3]Te TD huhu o te MD tauranga

 

show quoted sections

Tēnā koe Harwood

 

Please find attached a letter regarding your request under the Official
Information Act.

  

Nāku noa, nā,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | AM

[1]education.govt.nz

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[2][IMG]

 

show quoted sections

Tēnā koe Harwood

 

Please find attached a letter regarding your request under the Official
Information Act.

  

Nāku noa, nā,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | AM

[1]education.govt.nz

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[2][IMG]

 

show quoted sections

Tēnā koe Harwood

Thank you for your query about the school lunches programme. Our focus is
to provide the 242,000 students in the programme a nutritious meal, every
school day. Measuring service levels to make sure healthy meals are tasty,
cost-effective and delivered in sustainable packaging is an important part
of the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches programme.

As a whole, the programme is working well. Schools on the internal and
iwi/hapū delivery models continue to provide lunches that are well
received by students, including the use of fresh produce from their own
mara kai.

We acknowledge that there have been some challenges with the early
implementation of the School Lunch Collective (SLC) external model with
delivering lunches to 439 schools and kura across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Recent delivery from the SLC has consistently been over 99% on time to
schools, and the new menu for term two will include a variety of
nutritious meals we know students will enjoy. 

The Ministry is actively monitoring service levels, and the SLC, along
with all suppliers in the programme, is committed to listening to feedback
from schools and students to resolve challenges quickly and meet all
requirements in Services Agreements.

Your emails of 15 February 2025 to the Minister of Education, Hon Erica
Stanford, and Associate Minister of Education, Hon David Seymour, were
transferred to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) on 18 and 19
February 2025. You requested the following information, which has been
numbered for the purposes of responding:

 1. What materials are used for packaging of school lunches? i.e. PP
plastic, PET plastic, Aluminium foil, Paper, Cardboard?
 2. Are these materials recycled, composed or sent to landfill?
 3. If they are recycled or composed, please give general information on
where these are sent for processing? considering most councils do not
accept aluminium for recycling.
 4. If they are sent to landfill, how much volume is sent to landfill per
month?
 5. What other alternates have you considered for packaging that doesn't
include plastic or aluminium?
 6. Does the government consider it has delivered healthy lunches that
benefit students?
 7. Does the government consider it has used sustainable packing to
deliver the lunches? i.e. recyclable or fully composable products
(i.e. no plastic lined materials)?

8.      Does the government have standards or requirements that have to be
met for the school lunch programme? if so what? and if they haven't been
met, for what reason?

9.      Please provide the sources of this information, i.e. packaging
materials, is this information from a supplier?

Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act). We have interpreted your questions to relate to the current
school lunches programme with the SLC, who provide lunch to 125,000
students in need every school day.

The SLC has committed to a comprehensive approach to managing waste
responsibly, and supports the Ministry’s environmental goals. I am
refusing parts one, two, three, four and nine of your request under
section 18(d) of the Act, as the information is publicly available on the
SLC website at: [1]https://www.schoollunchcollective.co.nz/....

You can also find information that may be of interest to you on the SLC
website at: [2]https://www.schoollunchcollective.co.nz/....

Sustainability remains a priority for the Ministry for the school lunches
programme, and sustainability targets have not changed with the
introduction of the alternative provision model.  

All providers continue to use reusable, recyclable or certified
compostable materials wherever possible, and minimise the use of
non-recyclable packaging and single-use items. We have strengthened the
wording in all provider agreements around packaging and waste so that they
are clear as to the Ministry’s expectations.

In addition, for the SLC, pages 32 and 33 of the Services Agreement
include information regarding sustainability, waste and surplus management
that may be of interest to you. This can be found on the Ministry’s
website at:
[3]https://web-assets.education.govt.nz/s3f....

Please note that some of the information has been withheld under the
following sections of the Act:

o 9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of natural persons.
o 9(2)(b)(ii), to protect information where the making available of the
information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial
position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the
information.

As required under section 9(1) of the Act, we have considered the public
interest in releasing the information withheld. We do not consider that
the public interest considerations favouring the release of this
information are sufficient to outweigh the need to withhold it at this
time.

Regarding part five of your request, no alternative packaging was
considered, as the packaging being used is that proposed by Compass Group
NZ as part of their registration of interest, and already met the
programme’s recyclable packaging requirements.

Regarding parts six and seven of your request, it is not a requirement
under the Act to create new information in order to respond, so we are
refusing these parts of your request under section 18(g) of the Act, as
responding would require the Ministry to form an opinion, so the
information requested is not held by the Ministry, and we have no grounds
for believing that it is either held by, or more closely related to the
functions of, another department or organisation subject to the Act.

The Services Agreement linked above also sets out the Ministry’s
expectations of delivery. Associate Minister of Education, Hon David
Seymour, voiced his support for the delivery of healthy school lunches in
his media release of 30 January 2025 on the Beehive website here:
[4]https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-....

We are refusing part eight of your request under section 18(d) of the Act,
as above, as the information is publicly available in the Services
Agreement published at the link provided above. Section 6 and Schedule 2
contain information regarding standards and requirements that the SLC must
meet.

The Ministry expects all providers, including Compass Group NZ (as the
lead for the SLC), to meet performance targets and contractual
requirements. The SLC is committed to meeting its targets, and we will
continue to work closely with them to improve delivery and support for
schools.

The Services Agreement with the SLC includes provisions for monitoring the
supplier's performance against agreed service levels. The Ministry is
actively monitoring these agreed service levels during the implementation
of the programme, and will be undertaking formal reviews to measure
delivery performance against key metrics, including timeliness, food
quality, waste management and nutrition.

Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five
working days. Your name and contact details will be removed.

You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review the decision on your
request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by
writing to [5][email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman,
PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.

Nāku noa, nā,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | ED

[6]education.govt.nz

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[7][IMG]

 

show quoted sections

Tēnā koe Harwood

Thank you for your query about the school lunches programme. Our focus is
to provide the 242,000 students in the programme a nutritious meal, every
school day. Measuring service levels to make sure healthy meals are tasty,
cost-effective and delivered in sustainable packaging is an important part
of the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches programme.

As a whole, the programme is working well. Schools on the internal and
iwi/hapū delivery models continue to provide lunches that are well
received by students, including the use of fresh produce from their own
mara kai.

We acknowledge that there have been some challenges with the early
implementation of the School Lunch Collective (SLC) external model with
delivering lunches to 439 schools and kura across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Recent delivery from the SLC has consistently been over 99% on time to
schools, and the new menu for term two will include a variety of
nutritious meals we know students will enjoy. 

The Ministry is actively monitoring service levels, and the SLC, along
with all suppliers in the programme, is committed to listening to feedback
from schools and students to resolve challenges quickly and meet all
requirements in Services Agreements.

Your emails of 15 February 2025 to the Minister of Education, Hon Erica
Stanford, and Associate Minister of Education, Hon David Seymour, were
transferred to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) on 18 and 19
February 2025. You requested the following information, which has been
numbered for the purposes of responding:

 1. What materials are used for packaging of school lunches? i.e. PP
plastic, PET plastic, Aluminium foil, Paper, Cardboard?
 2. Are these materials recycled, composed or sent to landfill?
 3. If they are recycled or composed, please give general information on
where these are sent for processing? considering most councils do not
accept aluminium for recycling.
 4. If they are sent to landfill, how much volume is sent to landfill per
month?
 5. What other alternates have you considered for packaging that doesn't
include plastic or aluminium?
 6. Does the government consider it has delivered healthy lunches that
benefit students?
 7. Does the government consider it has used sustainable packing to
deliver the lunches? i.e. recyclable or fully composable products
(i.e. no plastic lined materials)?

8.      Does the government have standards or requirements that have to be
met for the school lunch programme? if so what? and if they haven't been
met, for what reason?

9.      Please provide the sources of this information, i.e. packaging
materials, is this information from a supplier?

Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act). We have interpreted your questions to relate to the current
school lunches programme with the SLC, who provide lunch to 125,000
students in need every school day.

The SLC has committed to a comprehensive approach to managing waste
responsibly, and supports the Ministry’s environmental goals. I am
refusing parts one, two, three, four and nine of your request under
section 18(d) of the Act, as the information is publicly available on the
SLC website at: [1]https://www.schoollunchcollective.co.nz/....

You can also find information that may be of interest to you on the SLC
website at: [2]https://www.schoollunchcollective.co.nz/....

Sustainability remains a priority for the Ministry for the school lunches
programme, and sustainability targets have not changed with the
introduction of the alternative provision model.  

All providers continue to use reusable, recyclable or certified
compostable materials wherever possible, and minimise the use of
non-recyclable packaging and single-use items. We have strengthened the
wording in all provider agreements around packaging and waste so that they
are clear as to the Ministry’s expectations.

In addition, for the SLC, pages 32 and 33 of the Services Agreement
include information regarding sustainability, waste and surplus management
that may be of interest to you. This can be found on the Ministry’s
website at:
[3]https://web-assets.education.govt.nz/s3f....

Please note that some of the information has been withheld under the
following sections of the Act:

o 9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of natural persons.
o 9(2)(b)(ii), to protect information where the making available of the
information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial
position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the
information.

As required under section 9(1) of the Act, we have considered the public
interest in releasing the information withheld. We do not consider that
the public interest considerations favouring the release of this
information are sufficient to outweigh the need to withhold it at this
time.

Regarding part five of your request, no alternative packaging was
considered, as the packaging being used is that proposed by Compass Group
NZ as part of their registration of interest, and already met the
programme’s recyclable packaging requirements.

Regarding parts six and seven of your request, it is not a requirement
under the Act to create new information in order to respond, so we are
refusing these parts of your request under section 18(g) of the Act, as
responding would require the Ministry to form an opinion, so the
information requested is not held by the Ministry, and we have no grounds
for believing that it is either held by, or more closely related to the
functions of, another department or organisation subject to the Act.

The Services Agreement linked above also sets out the Ministry’s
expectations of delivery. Associate Minister of Education, Hon David
Seymour, voiced his support for the delivery of healthy school lunches in
his media release of 30 January 2025 on the Beehive website here:
[4]https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-....

We are refusing part eight of your request under section 18(d) of the Act,
as above, as the information is publicly available in the Services
Agreement published at the link provided above. Section 6 and Schedule 2
contain information regarding standards and requirements that the SLC must
meet.

The Ministry expects all providers, including Compass Group NZ (as the
lead for the SLC), to meet performance targets and contractual
requirements. The SLC is committed to meeting its targets, and we will
continue to work closely with them to improve delivery and support for
schools.

The Services Agreement with the SLC includes provisions for monitoring the
supplier's performance against agreed service levels. The Ministry is
actively monitoring these agreed service levels during the implementation
of the programme, and will be undertaking formal reviews to measure
delivery performance against key metrics, including timeliness, food
quality, waste management and nutrition.

Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five
working days. Your name and contact details will be removed.

You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review the decision on your
request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by
writing to [5][email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman,
PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.

Nāku noa, nā,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | ED

[6]education.govt.nz

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[7][IMG]

 

show quoted sections

Tēnā koe Harwood

 

Please accept our apologies, as the response to your follow-up queries was
drafted but not sent due to an administrative error. Your email was as
follows:

 

I do not consider my reply to Q2 & Q3 adequate.

 

Q2. Are these materials recycled, composed or sent to landfill?

The link mentions "disposed and recycled"

I asked if the materials are "recycled, composed or sent to landfill"
which requires far more detail in clarification.

 

Q3. If they are recycled or composed, please give general information on
where these are sent for processing? considering most councils do not
accept aluminium for recycling.

The link doesn't mention where they are sent for processing.

I asked where they are sent for processing as most councils do not accept
aluminum for recycling, so I request where they are sent for recycling
processing, NOT the kitchen / company, but the type of recycling facility?
please be truthful about what is actually recycled or composed etc.

 

Information from the web pages linked in the response to your request
advises the following:

 

Smart Sourcing and Packaging

We've implemented innovative solutions to reduce waste. For instance, we
use large reusable barrels for ingredients like crushed tomatoes and
chopped carrots in our central kitchen. This approach significantly cuts
down on packaging waste compared to using individual containers. Imagine
the difference when preparing pasta sauce for 130,000 tamariki!

 

Responsible Waste Management

Our responsibility doesn't end with meal delivery. We collect and dispose
of waste generated in the most responsible ways we can. The meal trays,
for example, are returned to a central hub where they're cleaned and
broken down so that they can be repurposed into practical items like
engine parts.

 

Continuous Improvement

We recognise that sustainability is an evolving challenge. We're
constantly exploring new ways to enhance our practices and reduce our
environmental impact. We're committed to working closely with the local
businesses, Ministry, schools, and kura to continually improve our
sustainability efforts.

 

Efficient Transportation

Our commitment to sustainability extends to our delivery methods. We use
reusable crates instead of cardboard boxes to transport food across the
country. These crates are used repeatedly, drastically reducing single-use
packaging.

 

Energy-Efficient Cooking

We've carefully chosen the size of our meal trays to maximise oven space
efficiency. This simple yet effective strategy allows us to cook more
meals simultaneously, reducing overall energy consumption.

 

Additionally, the response advises that some information is withheld under
section 9(2)(b)(ii) of the Act, to protect information where the making
available of the information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the
commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of
the information. This includes the name of the company used by Libelle
that was previously involved with the recycling and may not be involved
moving forward. Since Libelle entered liquidation, a new company for
recycling has needed to be found, and Compass is reviewing the options
available.

 

The aluminium trays, which is one of the most sustainable packaging
products available, have been collected by the School Lunch Collective and
the trays not yet recycled are currently being stored at Central
Production Kitchens around the country. Once a new recycling contractor is
finalised, the aluminium trays will be recycled in the correct waste
stream, as outlined in the Services Agreement - [1]Service Agreement MoE -
Compass Group New Zealand Limited_0.pdf

 

1.4 Sustainability, Waste and Surplus management

Develop and provide a waste and surplus meal management plan, to be
reviewed at least annually and mutually agreed by both parties, that
details the approach to waste and surplus management, and any agreed
minimisation targets.

The plan should: (i) Align with guidance set by the Ministry for the
Environment’s national waste strategy (Te Rautaki Para), and associated
standards.

(ii) include approach to general recycling and composting of all waste
including those generated in kitchens during meal preparation, including
paper, cardboard, tin, aluminium, #1, 2 and 5 plastics, soft plastics, and
food scraps.

(iii) describe the collection systems in place and pathway/s used to
ensure items end up in the correct waste streams (for example recycling,
resource recovery or waste reduction). Evidence that waste is being
disposed of and/or recycled, reused, or composted as applicable using the
correct waste or recycling stream should be able to be provided on
request.

(iv) demonstrate a consistent and proactive focus on reduction of the
amount of food and packaging waste generated through the Services
throughout the supply chain;

(v) demonstrate a consistent and proactive focus on reduction of surplus
meals through the Service.

  

Nāku noa, nā,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | ED

[2]education.govt.nz

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[3][IMG]

show quoted sections