Healthy School Lunches Programme
Healthy School Lunches Programme
The following resources are suitable for offering employment to those who are employed directly by the school board as part of the Healthy School Lunches programmeopen_in_new.
What collective agreement covers healthy school lunch employees?
As part of the settlement of the 2025-2027 School Caretakers’, Cleaners’ and Canteen Staff Collective Agreementopen_in_new (SCCCSCA), the definition of a canteen staff worker was clarified to include employees in school lunch programmes.
This means that school lunch programme employees are employed under the SCCCSCA (if they are, or become, a member of E tū) or the promulgated individual employment agreement based on the SCCCSCA.
Do healthy school lunch employees have to be appointed permanently?
In the past, employment of Healthy School Lunch programme employees may have been through fixed term employment agreements.
Due to the rolling nature of the scheme’s funding, GovHub now advises that healthy lunch employees being employed for the 2027 year (and beyond) should be appointed permanently unless they are truly casual employees or there is a genuine reason to use a fixed term employment agreement.
Funding uncertainty is not a genuine reason for employing a healthy lunch programme employee under a fixed term employment agreement.
If you are unsure what truly casual means or what genuine reasons for fixed-term employment are, please refer to our articles on casual employment agreementsopen_in_new and fixed term employment agreementsopen_in_new.
Which letter template do I use?
To make an appointment, use the appropriate “Canteen/Healthy Lunch Programme Staff” template letters of offer:
- Permanent Employment Letters of Offeropen_in_new
- Fixed Term Letters of Offer and Noticesopen_in_new
- Casual Employment Agreementsopen_in_new
Templates, resources, and references
Click on the link(s) below to access the templates, resources, and references related to this topic.
Depending on your device, these may download or open in a separate browser.
Links from us
- Casual Employment Agreementsopen_in_new
- Fixed Term Letters of Offer and Noticesopen_in_new
- Permanent Employment Letters of Offeropen_in_new
- Recruitment kitopen_in_new
Ministry of Education