Turning food rescue into community spirit

While everyone was grateful for a warm, dry, modern home, four walls alone don’t create a sense of belonging. That’s when kai was used to start building a community.

The complex has a community room, and a call went out to work with our Community Development Team for ideas to bring people together. A pātaka kai (a shared food cupboard) started when residents spoke about how food could be used to make connections.

One of the residents brought a few cans and some noodles so anyone in need could top up their weekly shop. A group of neighbours worked together to paint up a cupboard to put them in. From there the Green Space Collective was formed and developed into a full-on food rescue operation.

Tamihana, one of the volunteers, explains: “We wanted to live somewhere people were connected, where neighbours became friends. We wanted the many cultures here to share their traditions and for everyone to feel like they belonged.”

Kevin, another resident, started volunteering with Kiwi Harvest, an organisation that rescues good food before it goes to waste.

“I was looking for something to do, so I joined them. My knees are shot, so I can’t do heavy lifting, but I enjoy helping,” he says. “Soon after we realised the pātaka kai had revealed something important: many of our new neighbours were struggling to make ends meet and would really benefit from the food Kiwi Harvest was distributing.”

Now, 250–300kg of food arrives at the community room every week. The volunteers make it work. They collect the food, unpack it, and divide it into family-sized portions.

“We might get a 20kg sack of carrots. We’ll split that into 20–30 bags, enough for a household,” Kevin explains.

To keep things fair, residents receive a number when they come into the room, then sit down for a cup of tea and a chat while they wait. It’s no longer just about food, it’s about connection.

“People hang out longer now. You hear neighbours saying hello in the corridors because they’ve met in the community room. We came together as strangers and built trust. Food rescue is the cornerstone of this,” says Kevin.

The group doesn’t stop at food parcels. They’ve recently hosted a pre-Christmas dinner and a Boxing Day BBQ, supplementing ‘bring a plate’ with some of the rescued food.

Shane, another volunteer, sums it up perfectly: “We all have a genuine care for people and a heart. We’re lucky to live here and want to give back. We’re just fortunate to be part of a group that gives a damn about their neighbours.”

At this complex, kai isn’t just nourishment, it’s the glue that’s turned a public housing complex into a community.