Sgt. Stumpy

Emeritus Professor of Physics at Princeton University, William Happer: "More CO2 is good for the world... It's absurd to be trying to reduce CO2"

There is something seriously wrong when schools are being made to feel like criminals for giving away surplus lunches to people who actually need them. Let’s be clear about what we’re talking about here. Leftover food. Food that would otherwise be thrown out. Food that could help a whānau get through the day. And somehow, that’s being framed as if it’s the same as shoplifting? That’s not just misguided — it’s completely out of touch. We are living through a cost-of-living crisis where petrol is through the roof, food prices are climbing, and more families are doing it tough. Every day, I see it. People are stretching meals, skipping meals, and making impossible choices just to get by. So if a school has extra lunches at the end of the day, why on earth would we not want that food going to those who need it? Most New Zealanders would say exactly the same thing — better in the hands of a whānau than sitting in a bin or being fed into pig buckets. Instead, we’ve got a system that is more worried about rules than about people. This is what happens when decision-makers lose touch with the reality on the ground. Common sense should prevail here. Feed people. Support whānau. Stop criminalising compassion. Because right now, it’s not the schools that look bad — it’s the system.

What I’d say to you is school lunches are not fit enough for school kids, so what makes principals think it would be okay to share with the community