Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei is inviting John Key to join her for lunch at decile 1 Windley School in Porirua next Wednesday, following the Prime Minister’s offer to undertake such a visit during question time yesterday.
“I’m challenging John Key to come face to face with the reality of hunger for some of our kids. When he does, he will find it harder to vote against my Bill to alleviate child hunger in schools,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.
“Windley school runs a breakfast programme five days a week, and feeds a large number of kids lunch each day. This is the reality of what is happening in many low decile schools across the country each day.
“John Key’s rose-tinted view of life for so many school children would get challenged at Windley. I really hope he will join me on the visit.
“The rumbling of empty tummies is getting louder by the day. 1000 extra children have joined KidsCan’s waiting since the beginning of this school year alone.
“KidsCan reports that, on average, nearly a quarter of the kids in the schools it works in don’t have a decent lunch, every day. John Key’s denial is not going to make these kids’ hunger go away.
“John Key needs to come to the schools I visit where I see acute need. He needs to see that the number of children who require lunch is far more than the “odd one or two” that he maintains.
“School lunches are an affordable no brainer. I just don’t get how the Prime Minister can find $70 million for 10 bridges in Northland, but can’t find the approximately $10 million it would cost to feed hungry primary school aged kids.
“John Key is putting his politics ahead of our kids’ health and education. We have a hungry kids’ crisis that my school lunch bill can fix,” Mrs Turei said.
