{"id":164097,"date":"2025-12-02T09:42:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T09:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/164097\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T09:42:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T09:42:08","slug":"haeata-school-disputes-suggestion-mouldy-lunches-were-old-ones-accidentally-re-served","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/164097\/","title":{"rendered":"Haeata school disputes suggestion mouldy lunches were old ones accidentally re-served"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe have considered all possible causes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think it is more than likely that the affected meals at the school had been delivered the previous Thursday, remained at the school without refrigeration, and then were accidentally re-served to students alongside fresh meals delivered on Monday. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis would explain the deterioration of the meals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe lunches served at Haeata Community Campus were covered in a thick layer of mould.<\/p>\n

However, Haeata Community Campus principal Peggy Burrows strongly disagreed with the body\u2019s findings, saying the school has no place to reheat the food. <\/p>\n

\u201c[I\u2019m] deeply disappointed that would have been published today,\u201d she told Newstalk ZB.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had three members of the Food Safety Authority on site from MPI. We reviewed the camera footage from Thursday\u2019s delivery and we looked at the camera footage from yesterday\u2019s delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burrows said the Compass Group van driver delivered eight cooling boxes of meals to the school on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe offloaded the eight and put them into the cafe. They were put on the benches by our staff. That is clearly seen on the cameras. It was seen on camera,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAround 2pm on Thursday, the same van driver arrived and he took eight out of the school. So nothing was left behind on Thursday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HaeataHaeata Community Campus Principal Peggy Burrows.<\/p>\n

Burrows said the same delivery process was carried out yesterday, where nine boxes were delivered, and the same were taken away in the afternoon. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo claim one may have been left behind and reheated and given to students is a fallacy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Haeata Community Campus has no facility to reheat any of those boxes, that is done off site because that is part of the Compass Group contract.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burrows plans to bring up her objections to NZFS\u2019s findings with the Ministry for Primary Industries.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo clarify with them why they would have published something that was categorically untrue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about a system that failed with the Compass Group. Haeata Community Campus is one of the most vulnerable schools in one of our most vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cA system\u2019s failure happened yesterday and Haeata is not responsible for that system\u2019s failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

I welcome the findings of the New Zealand Food Safety investigation into the mouldy lunches at Haeata Community Campus. The investigation concluded \u2018it is more than likely that the affected meals at the school had been delivered the previous Thursday, remained at the school\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 David Seymour (@dbseymour) December 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour welcomed NZFS\u2019s findings on the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe investigation concluded \u2018it is more than likely that the affected meals at the school had been delivered the previous Thursday, remained at the school without refrigeration, and then were accidentally re-served to students along fresh meals delivered on Monday. This would explain the deterioration of the meals\u2019,\u201d he wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n

He finished his post saying his thoughts are with parents whose children have been affected by \u201cthis debacle\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sign up to The Daily H<\/a>, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n