Christopher Luxon says National supports the government's healthy school lunches programme in principle. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
National Party leader Christopher Luxon says his party supports the government's healthy school lunches programme, but it needs to ensure the project's providing value for money.
The Ministry of Education says as of August 2023, lunches are being provided to over 230,000 pupils in 995 schools and kura, at a cost of up to $8.28 per lunch.
"We obviously want to look at the effectiveness of it [school food programme] but yes in principle we're very supportive" - Christopher Luxon
Luxon said National supported the programme in principle, but would look at whether it could be improved, and whether it was delivering the desired results.
The government approved more than $300 million to continue the free school lunch scheme, Ka Ora, Ka Ako, until the end of 2024 despite a Budget document showing Treasury did not support it.
Asked whether National would commit to the scheme as it stands, Luxon said National would look at its effectiveness.
"We just want to make sure that every dollar, taxpayer dollar that we're putting towards all programmes, we will stop the dumb stuff and we'll continue to invest in the good stuff."
National was supportive of the programme but it was likely it could be improved and enhanced, he said.
Luxon would not be drawn on whether National would look at banning fizzy drinks in primary schools, saying he would have more to say on that in their health policy.
Right now National's priority was to ban cellphones in schools, he said.
"We define the problem in front of us and then we work out common sense solutions to that," he said.
"What's the biggest problem we've got in education? Phones are a big contributor to our kids not paying attention and not being able to learn."
Labour has promised four weeks' paid parental leave for partners by mid-2026 if it is re-elected.
Luxon said it was a policy that National would love to be able to implement but it was not affordable.
"We need to ensure it's affordable, you know we are in a recession ... we are the only country in the Asia Pacific region in a recession, we have gone from $5 billion worth of debt in 2019 to over $70b in debt and our books are in deficit, they're in bad shape."
A National government would have a responsibility to ensure it was economically responsible, he said.
Asked how National could promise about $8b worth of tax cuts while remaining economically responsible, Luxon said National would soon issue a fully costed tax plan.
"We have said that we will make sure that our tax plan is fully funded and you'll see that and we take that seriously because we have seen so much economic mismanagement, policy made up on the fly, not fully costed."
In terms of first home buyers, Luxon said National was determined to drive up home ownership rates in New Zealand.
"We think that's a good thing, when people get to afford their home and make sure they can make a contribution to a local community and be settled."
That was the desired outcome and National would do all it could to ensure that happened, he said.