Haeata Community Campus won’t comment further or release findings of its own internal investigation into the mouldy lunch issue, despite earlier assurances of transparency, but still issued a brief statement today.

A full investigation by New Zealand Food Safety found the mould was caused by meals being left onsite and was not linked to any wider failure within the School Lunch Collective meal delivery service.

School principal Peggy Burrows rejected those findings and initiated a separate internal inquiry at the school.

In a statement released on Monday afternoon (today) , Burrows said the New Zealand Food Safety report was provided to the public before the school had any opportunity to review and respond, and rejected the official findings.

Burrows went on a media blitz in the early stages of the controversy, appearing across multiple media outlets and blaming the lunch provider for the mouldy meals, before New Zealand Food Safety officials were called in to formally investigate the issue.

In a statement, Burrows said “The School does not accept the conclusions in that Report, given its own investigation findings, but is open to engaging with MPI, as this investigation has been complicated by the lack of batch traceability,” she said.

She said the school’s focus remained on promoting the welfare of its students, including ensuring the safety of food served to students.

“The School does not intend commenting further,” Burrows said.

The New Zealand Food Safety investigation concluded there was no evidence of systemic issues with the School Lunch Collective, and the issue was isolated to how meals were handled after delivery at the campus.