Does the Associate Minister agree with the Auditor-General's office regarding the Inquiry into the Alternative Provision Model for Ka Ora, Ka Ako (school lunch programme), that "It is important that public organisations... get value for money for New Zealanders"; if so, does he believe that "value for money" is the Ministry of Education not holding preliminary discussions with all 20 shortlisted suppliers?

Answer

I agree that it is important that public organisations get value for money for New Zealanders. I am advised that the Ministry of Education followed the government procurement process for the school lunch programme, and all proposals that met Registration of Interest requirements were progressed to a shortlist for further evaluation. This was recognised by the Audit Office in an independent assurance report on 22 October 2024. The report stated that Audit Office was satisfied with the communication and there was appropriate and consistent application of the evaluation methodology. The report can be located here: https://web-assets.education.govt.nz/s3fs-public/2025-02/Audit%20New%20Zealand%20assurance%20report%20-%20school%20lunches%20-%20final_Redacted.pdf?VersionId=RyKo2.bL15bNRJjCv_oWBRa5i9Uidgy9"