NZ Media Is whākd' if school lunches are their top story
You know what really whūks me off? The New Zealand media and their obsession with school lunches. It has become the most embarrassing fixation in modern journalism. Every time something happens involving a school lunch, every newsroom in the country treats it like a national emergency. Fly in the food, it was cold, or this week, allegations of mould. Boom. Front page. Lead story. Panels. Outrage. Think pieces. You would swear the fate of the nation hung on a bruised apple.
Honestly, it grinds my bloody gears.
Because while the media is busy losing their kaka over lukewarm pasta, they flat-out refuse to cover actual stories of substance. Serious allegations involving Labour MP Willie Jackson and the Manukau Urban Māori Authority. Silence. A Labour-linked activist, Julian Rivers, pumping out attack content while masquerading as an average citizen, failing to disclose his political links. Silence again.
Serious allegations against Willie Jackson and MUMA raise alarming questions
Explosive allegations have emerged from veteran political figure Matthew McCarten, raising deeply troubling questions about Labour MP Willie Jackson and the Manukau Urban Maori Authority (MUMA). If McCarten’s account is accurate, Jackson has used his political influence…
Suit and Tie over on X nailed it. “If National or Act had a social media influencer pumping out attack ads without disclaimers media would be going into meltdown.” But because it is Labour, not a peep. Not even a raised eyebrow. Might write a little bit more about this at some stage.
Since when did the Fourth Estate become the lunchbox police?
New Zealanders deserve a media that reports the things that matter. They deserve journalists who chase accountability, not soggy sandwiches. Instead, our mainstream outlets have decided that school lunches are the hill they want to die on, turning every minor complaint into a moral crusade.

For whūk sake, make your own kids lunch. It is not the responsibility of the state to feed your children. Yes, the cost of living is tough for a lot of families right now. I feel it too when I spend $150 at the supermarket and walk out with two bags of food. But you can still pack a basic lunch without needing the Government or the media to step in as your household manager.
Meanwhile, real stories are sitting right in front of them. Political scandals. Integrity issues. Questions of transparency. Things that should actually matter in a functioning democracy. Yet the media is too busy obsessing over sandwiches and fruit cups to bother lifting a finger.
New Zealand deserves better than a MSM that behaves like a PTA committee with a megaphone. Maybe one day they will remember their job is to hold power to account, not inspect the inside of a child’s lunchbox.
Until then, the decline of our media continues, wrapped neatly alongside the school lunch saga they cannot seem to let go of. Rant over.






100% agree Matua! Small minded journalists that are looking for petty dramas.
Between yourself and Ani O'Brien between you, you're doing the heavy lifting and shining of sunshine on the real issues on Substack imho. Then there's others on different platforms such as The Good Oil and The Platform, Duncan Garner's podcast to name just a few.
Why oh why does the public still fund TVNZ, and RNZ? Our politicians are completely gutless. Surely they know what they face and the only way to even the playing field is to cut public funding of media - particularly news media.
Then the free market will sort out the wheat from the chaff.
Interesting point to add to the mix is that this school has a ' state of the art commercial kitchen' onsite.
One would think that such a facility would have sufficient food storage and if necessary reheating capabilities?
https://www.haeata.school.nz/teaching-ako-and-learning/hospitality-programme/
The inability to admit that they have made an error and not apologizing only hardens the negative perception of those employed in the Education and entire public sector.
Thanks so much for all the awesome content. Worth every $.
P.S. Karl Du Fresne wrote an excellent article about the modern MSM and 'journalists'. Well worth a read.
https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/karl-du-fresne-what-privilege-looks-like-in-2025