Extending free healthy lunches to more schools wouldn't cost the taxpayer much, but would make a world of difference to cash-strapped families in the cost of living crisis, writes former Te Whatu Ora chair Rob Campbell.
Opinion: Our attention is being strongly drawn away from matters such as climate or geopolitical crises or equity and constitutional challenges towards 'cost of living' or 'bread and butter' issues.
It is, we are told, what we are really concerned about and there seems to be some sort of major party political consensus on this if not much else.
I’m not convinced about this but it may be a tide we have to live with for some months (in my case at least while accepting that the other much bigger challenges will return with ferocity not calmed by being ignored).
READ MORE: * Rob Campbell: New chair must fix clumsy and poorly delivered Health NZ super-agency * Ian Powell: The long political game behind the sacking of Rob Campbell
Ironies abound of course. Interest rates (leading to rents and other costs) must go up, unemployment must go up too, to stop inflation going up. It may sound ok in the boardroom but rephrased as "you must lose your job and face higher costs because it will be good for us all" it rings hollow in the street.
The central bank may like to think of it as "cooling our jets", but in the street it is turning off your car and your heating.
In the midst of all this a public health coalition of school and Maori health leaders called this week for an extension of free healthy lunches in more schools – the Ka Ora Ka Ako programme.
You can’t get much more 'bread and butter' or 'cost of living' focused than that. I’m pretty sure that kids at school not having a decent lunch is not a price most would openly advocate for. It's not hard to think of a few corporate frivolities which might drive inflation more than that.
But of course, the call did not get much attention, nothing like it should.
Along with their call, Health Coalition Aotearoa released polling which showed strong support for a doubling of the programme. Public health and education evidence come together on the importance of this.
It is not a cure-all but, in situations such as we are, taking basic practical steps is very often better than more high sounding pronouncements. The polling released recorded that affordability of healthy food was top of cost of living concerns.
So come on, politicians, where are you? Simple, practical, supporting healthy whanau and their education (possibly even attendance). You could pay for it by higher tax on executive expense account lunches or other forms of expensive "entertainment eating".
In releasing the call, Dr Lisa Te Morenga also made another important point. A more widely available programme should be combined with devolving the delivery of meals to local communities.
This will have wider community benefits. This can form the base for community healthy nutrition activities where they are most needed. Such moves would build on many local initiatives which have been created but for which sustainability is a real challenge.
One of the attractive things about this is that it is not new. It simply builds on an established programme which is in place run by Ministry of Education. It is just about doubling the access for schools to participate.
The scheme has its issues no doubt in administration, but these can be addressed. Funding is hardly profligate (rates for this term range per child, per day from $5.55 to $8.27 per day) but the saving to whanau is very real.
Looking forward it is easy to see this as an integral part of the Localities Health Frameworks envisaged in the Pae Ora legislation, dealing with real cost of living and health issues in the community with the cross agency support that is essential.
