Children are allegedly missing out on free school lunches because staff are eating them first. 

A parent of students at Tuakau College says her children have missed out for a month, coming home hungry. The students were also denied access to a phone to request their mother bring them food. 

Associate Education Minister David Seymour says he has asked the Ministry of Education to investigate. 

Secondary Principals Association President Vaughan Couillault tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the lunch program has a level of trust involved due to its scale and that teachers may have misinterpreted how it functions. 

LISTEN ABOVE