Paul Harvey: Compass Managing Director on the delay of school lunches again

An oven issue is responsible for delaying school lunches across Auckland today. 

It is another blow for the scheme that saw principals likening the meals to "dog food."

Compass Managing Director Paul Harvey said the company is bringing in additional resources to ensure things run smoothly. 

"It's been a tough week, and really the key message is we're continuing to put in additional contingency upon a contingency to ensure that the kids get what they deserve, which is meals on time."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So much feedback coming in on school lunches, so much
in fact, that we thought it might be a good
idea to actually talk some more about them, not about
what's in them, but actually about what the delays that
we've had, the delays that we have had in getting
the lunches to the students. So we're going to do

(00:21):
that right now. They've had some issues today in Auckland
in particular. Now Paul Harvey is with Compass, that's the
company that runs and operates and delivers the food programs,
and he's with me now, Hi, Ryan, how are you good?
Thank you? So did everyone get there lunch on time today?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
No, they didn't, Ryan. We we've got a toffer at
the office. And you know, we had some unplanned, unfo
seen issues with ovens this morning, which certainly didn't set
us off on the right start. So it's been a
tough week and regular key messages. We're continuing to put
in additional contingency upon a contingency to ensure that the

(01:03):
kids get what they deserve, which is meals on time.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
What happened to the oven?

Speaker 2 (01:08):
There's a gas challenge that we had. These things happen
in big manufacturing facilities of all weeks that decided to
happen this morning, particularly after some of the things that
we were starting to see improved from yesterday and some
of the things that we've done. So I can't control
those things, but we have to have continue sort of
work on contingencies upon contingencies, and that's what we're going

(01:29):
to do over the weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Right, how many what are you going to do?

Speaker 2 (01:33):
So we've got some additional expertise on site now for
the gas in the ovens. We're also bringing in additional resource.
We're bringing an additional facilities to help us ensure that
we're not putting too much pressure on the plant, etc.
And that's what we've been mobilizing today. I think the

(01:55):
other thing that we're going to do is just be
really transparent and open with the schools, and I sort
of started that process myself with the principles in the
last few days.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
I guess people to be wondering, why was this not
ironed out before you started, because you did have dry runs.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
We had dry runs. But when you start to scale
up and you're into one hundred and twenty seven thousand meals,
you know, you start to see some of the things
that you plan and predict are going to happen. But
you really start to see in this instance, when you're
working as a collective with multiple people in the system,
minutes matter, and when you're out by a few minutes

(02:35):
like happen this morning, and schools are choosing rightly so
to have lunch at sort of ten ten thirty in
some cases you already put some pressure on that. So
we've got to get that right. And it's an our
wasshuit of owne right? And will it.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Get worse next week because you've got more schools coming
on board?

Speaker 2 (02:51):
No? Again, do you hope?

Speaker 1 (02:54):
Hope?

Speaker 2 (02:54):
I hope not.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
How many you said you got one hundred and twenty
seven thousand meals? How many kids went without completely today?
Do you know?

Speaker 2 (03:02):
I don't know the exact numbers. But what we did
with the ministry this morning, who have been phenomenal, as
we communicated very early to all principles in schools in
the open region that we would have challenges. So we've
got to get ye.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
No, I get that, But how do you know how
many schools you didn't deliver to it all today?

Speaker 2 (03:20):
I don't know the exact numbers because some schools close.
I think we would have got to seventy We would
have attempted to get the seventy o percent of schools
today and the other thirty odd descent would have chosen
to feed the kids themselves because the delays.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
That did compromise, So you get fined for that.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
We are performance managed by the government and like with
any of our contracts, right, so we will be accountable
to that. Right.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
So what does that mean.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
It means that we've got performance metrics.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
We've got but if you don't meet the performance metrics,
what's the punishment.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
The punishment will be the ultimately, at the end of
the day, it'll be the contract.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
But you know, so you'd lose the contract. It's not
it's not a penalty.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
As you go, you're always on edge and you're always
accountable every day to deliver against the contract. Right, So
each contract is different. I won't go into the details
of this, but we are well aware of not you know,
the commercial sort of responsibilities we have, but candidly the responsibilitificates.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
All right, Paul, fair enough, Thank you very much for
your time. Really appreciate it. Paul Harvey, Compass Managing director.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
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