Proposed changes to the promotion and provision of healthy drinks in schools

Closed 2 Jun 2022

Opened 7 Apr 2022

Contact

legislation.consultation@education.govt.nz

Overview

We are seeking your views on the promotion and provision of healthy drinks in schools.

The promotion of healthy food and drink in schools improves children’s behaviours around what they eat and drink at school and at home. Eating habits developed at a young age shape a person’s ongoing approach to healthy eating and drinking through to adulthood, so it’s important to promote the benefits of healthy eating and drinking during children’s early development.

The National Administration Guidelines (NAGs) set out the Government’s administrative requirements for State school boards.1 NAG 5(b) guides school boards to promote healthy food and nutrition for all students. Since 2009, the Ministry of Health has been working with schools to encourage the voluntary adoption of healthy eating and water-only policies.2

From 1 January 2023, all NAGs, including NAG 5(b), will no longer be in effect in the legislation, because of some changes we’re making to how schools do their planning and reporting. We are currently looking at transferring the NAG requirement relating to nutrition and healthy eating into a new Regulation made through the Education and Training Act 2020.

The introduction of new Regulations also provides an opportunity to strengthen the requirements so that schools can provide healthy drinks only. This would bring schools in line with the healthy drinking standards in the Ka Ora Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches programme, and existing guidance from the Ministry of Health’s Healthy Active Learning programme.

We plan to bring the Regulations into force from the end of this year, before the NAGs stop having effect.

This discussion document presents the government’s preferred option and two other options we have considered that we’d like your feedback on.

1 ‘State’ schools include: ordinary State schools, designated character schools (including Kura Kaupapa Māori), State integrated schools, specialist schools and distance schools.

2 Schools that have water-only policies only allow water and plain, low-fat milk to be permitted on-site.

Download the discussion document

Discussion document Public consultation on Regulations for healthy eating and drinks - English [DOCX, 80 KB]

Discussion document Public consultation on Regulations for healthy eating and drinks - Māori [DOCX, 74 KB]

Discussion document Public consultation on Regulations for healthy eating and drinks - English [PDF, 225 KB]

Discussion document Public consultation on Regulations for healthy eating and drinks - Māori [PDF, 243 KB]