1 May 2013

Campaign launched to support school meals bill

7:21 pm on 1 May 2013

Unions and community groups are rallying behind a law change proposed by Mana Party leader, Hone Harawira, to provide children with meals at school.

The Education Amendment Bill, also known as the Feed the Kids Bill, would provide state funded meals at all schools with a decile one or two rating.

The bill would affect 53 of the country's 73 kura kaupapa.

Organisations such as UNICEF, Te Waka Huia, and the Maori Women's Welfare League, on Wednesday launched the Community Campaign for Food in Schools to support the bill.

The Maori Medical Practitioners Association is also supporting it.

Its chairman George Laking says proper nutrition early on will allow Maori students to continue their studies.

Dr Laking says there may be a generation of young Maori who will not have the opportunity to become doctors, because they did not receive the proper nutrition at school.

He says Maori only represent 3% of the medical workforce, and he would like to see that grow, to at least 15%.