The Green Party is promising to continue funding the free school lunches programme and expand it to more children and will pay for it with a wealth tax.
On Tuesday, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said the "time is now" to ensure every Kiwi kid has healthy, affordable kai at home and at school.
"The Green Party's plan to expand free school lunches alongside our Income Guarantee will make sure no child in Aotearoa goes hungry - and it will all be paid for with the wealth tax," Davidson said.
Davidson said as whānau struggle to cover the basics amid a cost of living crisis, "far too many parents are forced to skip meals so their children can get something to eat".
"The Green Party will put community wellbeing at the heart of education," she said.
"Free school lunches will support families with the rising cost of living and ensure that no matter what happens, tamariki can get a good lunch at school."
The health school lunches programme, Ka Ora Ka Ako, currently provides free lunches to 230,000 children. But Davidon said it's at risk after Labour committed to only fund it for one more year.
"The Green Party's plan to keep the current programme going, funded by a wealth tax, and expand free school lunches to 135,000 more children is the right thing to do," Davidson said
The party's education spokesperson Teanau Tuiono believes "poverty is a political choice" and said, "our plan will provide lasting solutions".
The programme is currently targeted at the worst off 25 percent of students in schools facing the greatest socio-economic barriers.
The Green Party says the first extension it's proposing will go to 135,000 more students in over 400 more schools from the start of the 2024 school year.
