Opoho School takes part in the Garden to Table programme and incorporates gardening in the curriculum.
Deputy principal Lucy Marr said the kaupapa of the programme was to eat what you grew and it encouraged pupils to try new things.
"They might not eat lettuce at home but they try new things when they have cooked it and made it together and when they see friends trying new things."
She said a group of pupils would harvest the vegetables and another group would make a meal from them.
The whole experience would be a celebration of "breaking bread together and not rushing to go play", Ms Marr said.
Pupils would set the table with flowers in vases, take their shoes off at the door and say karakia before they ate together.
The school’s garden included vegetables, fruits and herbs and yesterday the pupils enjoyed a Matariki hua whenua (vegetable) soup with a tangy pumpkin dip and pita pockets.
Garden to Table is in more than 300 schools nationwide. Its southern regional co-ordinator, Skye Macfarlane, said it was growing.
Many smaller and rural schools were taking part and schools had the autonomy go as big as they wanted with it, she said.
The programme provided access to hundreds of resources and ways to incorporate it in the curriculum, including a financial literacy resource made with Rabobank that guided pupils on how to put on a bake sale or fundraising events.
