School lunch saga: Oh, how life has changed
In response to Noel McAnally (Letters, 11.3.25), the government is providing school lunches to the 25% of schools at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum not because of an "entitled generation". Some parents simply cannot provide enough food for their families. Yes, I agree there is joy in growing our own veges and making home-made meals. However this is difficult for many now. Life has changed a lot in a few decades. When I was growing up, most families had enough to eat, and home ownership was much higher, so people could grow food, life was more stable, and communities more connected. We had a vege garden, and our mum took time out from paid work to bring up kids, and make our lunches. What’s changed? Neoliberal capitalism has been massively widening the gap between rich and poor, compounding inequities. One income is often not enough to support a family. Buying a house is out of reach for many, and tenuous rental and employment situations mean vulnerable families are living in garages and cars etc. These situations are real, and rather than blaming people for being poor, and allowing their children to go hungry, we have a societal obligation to change our systems, like taxation, to be fairer. Bring in a capital gains tax, and have a realistic income threshold below which you pay no tax. More equitable societies are good for everyone.
I agree wholeheartedly with the basic assertion of your correspondent Noel McAnally (Letters, 11.3.25) that it is "the parents’ first and foremost job to provide for and feed their own families" and that is "not up to the taxpayer".
Still, I accept that in some cases it is difficult for families to provide. This said, as a New Zealand taxpayer, it absolutely made my blood boil to (see a report on television of) children throwing large quantities of food in buckets that would ultimately be "fed to the pigs". I am no expert on hunger, but imagine that if a person was genuinely very hungry, they would be quite happy to eat meals like the ones I have seen via the media for days on end. Associate Education Minister David Seymour must have surely by now considered making an example of that school by not supplying it full-stop. I think such a threat might actually prompt schools that have been very vocal about the alleged "omnishambles" that is the school lunch scheme to show a bit of humility and teach their students a thing or two about gratitude.
Thank you to Noel McAnally (Letters, 11.3.25) who had a very relevant letter in your paper regarding the school lunch scheme which sadly has become a "political football".
Having had sandwiches for my school lunch for over 12 years, made by my mother until I was old enough to make my own I find it hard to accept that so many children need lunch provided and paid for by the government.
What has happened to our resourcefulness, our thankfulness to have basic food, our hard work to grow some of our own food in our own back yard or combining with neighbours to have a communal garden.
I fully realise that there are some children who because of circumstances need to be given a school lunch but has it all got out of hand? In my mind Christopher Luxon was quite right as thousands of us in this country have been and still are very happy to have sandwiches for our lunch. For the sake of the children who need to be given a school lunch it is high time the politicians laid aside their petty differences and worked on a satisfactory and workable scheme which could be an example of co-operation for us all.
Fixing an error takes a person, not a helpline
Humphrey Catchpole’s letter (8.3.25) about the difficulties with customer helplines was accurate and, I am sure, resonated with many.
Three years ago, my wife and I went online and booked Air New Zealand tickets to Australia. Afterwards, we saw an error that would invalidate one of the tickets. We immediately called Air NZ and endured an hour of inane music and repetitious ads. We gave up and hunted around the Air NZ site until we found an email link, where we explained the problem. Two weeks later, we received an acknowledgment of the email and a promise that someone would be in touch.
Two weeks later, with no further contact, we had to go to Christchurch, so we printed the ticket and swung by the airport. At the customer services counter a very helpful lady fixed the issue in 10 minutes.
Every criticism of telephone "help" lines is valid and, wherever possible, a personal contact is the only way to receive a quick and efficient resolution. .
Heartening news
It was so heartening to read of the University of Otago College of Education's application for the School Onsite Training Programme (SOTP) funding (ODT 8.3.25). Hopefully this will be successful and, ìn turn, help to address the dearth of people entering teacher-education and the ongoing teacher shortage. It will also provide valuable extra support for current teachers in the classroom as they respond to an ever-moving array of demands and changes under the current government. In addition, it will ensure the provision of confident teachers with the passion, experience and skills to work with their colleagues whilst being fully responsive to children and their whānau.
No landslide of acclamation for the president
As a dual citizen of both America and New Zealand, I write to correct some of Joyce Yee-Murdoch’s points (Letters 12.3.25).
Donald Trump bestows accolades on himself and the media reports what he says. That doesn’t make it truthful. By comparison, Jacinda Ardern earned admiration and respect from many quarters (not all), in a way that Trump can never emulate.
As an American voter, I believe Trump, and the entire GOP, should be impeached for their blatant corruption and for betraying their oaths of office. They are clearly not upholding the Constitution. The list of their crimes and misdemeanours is way too long for this format, but in short is the presidency is not a monarchy.
Trump has signed Executive Orders which undermine Congress, with some already judged illegal and reversed, and more cases are currently before the courts. It is not mainstream media telling us Trump is corrupt — the court transcripts and decisions are available to read for yourself.
Re global relations and impending military action, Trump is the only president, ever, to switch sides in the middle of a war. That Trump supports Putin is obvious to everyone with an IQ above a single digit. His own words and actions have confirmed he is supporting a leader who is credibly accused of committing war crimes in the Ukraine. Shameful.
And no, Trump did not win in a landslide. He won less than 50% of the vote (49.8%) with Kamala Harris also winning just under half the vote (48.3%). He won the popular vote yes. But, I also think that the GOP’s well-documented voter suppression tactics and gerrymandering in swing states significantly contributed to the imbalance of power that now exists in the House and Senate.
Trump is not representing the US well on the domestic or global stages, which is why protests are increasing. The people are rising up against him, for good reason. I just hope the New Zealand government does the same.
[Abridged — length. Editor.]
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