Compass loses place in new school lunch contracts as prices rise above $3 cap

David Seymour has championed Compass as a supplier of the school lunch programme since the start of the year. (Image: NZME)

Cécile Meier

Fri, 07 Nov 2025

Global catering giant Compass Group has been dropped as a supplier in the next round of the Government’s school lunch programme, with regional providers set to charge up to $5 per meal.The Ministry of Education published the outcome of its latest tender for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme in a newsletter sent to schools on Friday. It said 10 regional suppliers had been selected to deliver lunches to 188 contributing primary schools from Term 1, 2026.Clear shiftThe move marks a clear shift from this year’s centralised model, under which...

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