'Bugger' – Greens co-leader backtracks on child poverty call
Metiria Turei has explained on social media that she was “unclear” in her question in Parliament yesterday.
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Hawke’s Bay
Greens co-leader Metiria Turei has backtracked on comments made in Parliament yesterday that up to 90% of New Zealand children go to school without lunch every day.
When questioning Mr Key, Ms Turei asked if the prime minister would commit to a cross-party agreement to provide food in schools.
She went on to quote statistics from New Zealand charity KidsCan, explaining that some “23% on average, and up to 90% of kids in schools are going without lunch every day.”
Mr Key hit back by saying that in the 500 schools he has been to, if 90% of them didn’t have lunch, he would be pretty surprised.
He added if Ms Turei wanted to come with him to a school of his choosing, and 90% of them didn’t have lunch, he would personally buy them lunch for the whole year.
But Ms Turei later explained on social media that she was “unclear” in her question.
“I meant to say that Kidscan says about 23% on average and up to 90% of the kids in the schools it works with need lunch every day – not 90% of kids in all schools.”
She said it happened in the heat of the moment but also said that whether it was 10% or 90% of kids "it’s bad enough that kids need government help."
Jason Walls
Thu, 12 Mar 2015
Thu, 12 Mar 2015
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'Bugger' – Greens co-leader backtracks on child poverty call
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