Big players including Zespri and Seeka donate excess kiwifruit to NZFN to increase access to nutritious food and reduce food waste
New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), one of the largest food support and national food rescue charities in New Zealand, is working with the country’s kiwifruit industry to help feed communities in need.
NZFN rescued and redistributed 160 tonnes of kiwifruit in 2024, and according to the organisation demand for this kind of support has increased this season.
NZFN’s most recent Food Security Snapshot revealed that over half a million people are now being supported by NZFN’s Food Hubs every month, with about a third of monthly recipients never seeking food support before.
Yet alongside this increase in demand, NZFN said the volumes of surplus donations have remained “flat, at best,” forcing many Food Hubs to reduce the size of food parcels or even turn away new recipients.
“Food insecurity remains a critical issue for many New Zealanders,” said NZFN chief executive, Gavin Findlay.
“With many of our Food Hubs struggling with stock levels, collaboration between the private and public sector is important to plug those gaps in supply and ensure that good, nutritious produce is going to communities in need rather than ending up in the bin.”
With the support of organisations including Zespri and Seeka and in partnership with a nationwide network of packhouses, NZFN aims to increase access to nutritious food and reduce food waste in the agriculture sector.
“Fresh produce must pass through many hoops before it ends up on the supermarket shelves, such as needing to last long export journeys, or meeting quality standards – meaning some of the annual harvest doesn’t make the cut but is still good to eat,” said Findlay. “With the help of our network of incredible organisations, we’re making sure that it’s going towards nourishing Kiwis who need it most.”
Since the rescue effort began in April this year, NZFN has already distributed kiwifruit to more than 80 organisations across the country.
“Our focus is always on getting as much of our growers’ fruit to market as possible but we’re proud to work with NZFN to ensure that fresh and healthy kiwifruit which doesn’t quite meet our export standards but is still delicious and safe to eat, reaches those in need and makes a positive impact on our communities,” said Zespri head of global public affairs, Michael Fox.
NZFN first started receiving Seeka red kiwifruit in March this year to be redistributed to its 65 nationwide Food Hubs supporting local organisations on the front lines. In total, around 150 bins of red kiwifruit were processed and sent to New Zealanders in need. Gold kiwifruit processing and distribution is now underway.
