A Christchurch mother has spoken out after her daughter became sick on Monday, strongly backing Haeata Community Campus principal Peggy Burrows and rejecting official findings by New Zealand Food Safety.

Rebecca McKenzie said her daughter was recovering slowly after suffering a high temperature, hot and cold flushes, and vomiting. “She is feeling a bit better. We managed to get something into her last night that she kept down. Her temperature is down and she is looking and feeling a bit better,” she said.

New Zealand Food Safety concluded it is more than likely the meals became unsafe because they were left unrefrigerated at the school before distribution.

McKenzie does not accept that.

“I do not blame the school at all. They have a very high health and safety standard and they would not feed these kids mouldy food on purpose. I am one hundred percent behind the school,” she said.

McKenzie instead directed her criticism at Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour. “I am not happy with David Seymour at the moment,” she said.

She said lunches at the school had declined in quality since changes to the programme. “Last year we had healthy lunches and they were good. My kids were eating them. Then he decided he was going to cut the budget and give it to a big company and now the schools are receiving sloppy meals. My daughter has come home a few times saying Mom the potatoes look like they have been sitting in a pot for a week,” she said.

Asked how that concern relates to the Food Safety finding that refrigeration was the issue rather than meal quality, she said “I cannot really comment on that. But I feel it is up to the company to look at the meals they are serving and see the quality before they are served to these children.”

McKenzie said she has long held concerns about the taste and presentation of some meals. “I have gone to eat them and it is bland or it is disgusting or it does not look edible,” she said.

She also defended her decision to speak publicly. “Yes, I am that mother that did speak up. I do worry about all these other children who are not being fed. I have four children myself, two who are on the spectrum. I feed my children and they take extra lunch to school in case a child or a friend does not have anything to eat,” she said.

She said many families rely on the lunches. “We live week to week. Some days it is hard for me to provide a lot for my kids. These meals are supposed to keep our kids brains working throughout the day so they do not deteriorate,” she said.

Despite the official conclusion pointing to school handling, McKenzie maintained her view that the school was not at fault.

“I honestly do not think it is the school’s fault. Seymour is trying to place the blame on the school.”

She rejected the investigation. “I do not think it was the school at all. There are cameras and it shows the containers being brought in and brought out. I think Food Safety New Zealand need to go back and have a look and do the right thing,” she said.