Kerikeri-based Kairos Foodbank<\/a> closing last year, she said. <\/p>\n\u201cThere is massive food insecurity. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere always has been in my time here in this mahi, but in the last two years there\u2019s been a marked increase.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Whakaora]()
Whakaora Kai manager Daniela Johnson says people are making tough choices around paying essential household expenses, leaving food way down on the list.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) leads the Government\u2019s response to food insecurity through its Food Secure Communities programme. <\/p>\n
Established in 2020, the programme has invested more than $230 million in the community food sector. <\/p>\n
In Northland in 2026\/27, the programme funded three local community food providers, Far North Community Foodbank, Fresh Start 20\/20 and 155 Whare Awhina Community House, to a total of $126,879. <\/p>\n
Whakaora Kai Food Rescue received a $50,000 grant. <\/p>\n
MSD M\u0101ori Pacific and Communities general manager Serena Curtis acknowledged that food insecurity \u201ccontinues to place pressure on individuals, wh\u0101nau and communities across New Zealand including Northland\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Hunger Monitor Report highlights the challenges many households continue to face. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe … recognise that food insecurity can be influenced by a range of factors, including financial hardship, housing costs, employment circumstances and broader cost-of-living pressures.\u201d <\/p>\n
Whakaora Kai Moerewa senior manager Vai Lopeti said the need for emergency kai has been \u201ca lot worse\u201d over the last six months. <\/p>\n
Lopeti and volunteers distribute around 100 food parcels a week to just as many families, along with multiple social services. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had more wh\u0101nau coming in for support. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve suddenly got a bill that\u2019s popped up … so we can support them with emergency kai.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"NZ]()
NZ Food Network chief executive Gavin Findlay says food insecurity requires urgent, collective action.<\/p>\n
Lopeti said dropping fuel prices, which have hit record highs at the pump, would help. <\/p>\n
According to gas price comparison app Gaspy, the average price of 91-octane fuel is $3.60 a litre and diesel is about $3.23 \u2013 the highest level since the start of the Iran-US war.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting to where wh\u0101nau are comfortable would help as the cost of fuel has gone through the roof but incomes haven\u2019t,\u201d Lopeti said.<\/p>\n
NZFN chief executive Gavin Findlay said food insecurity required \u201curgent, collective action\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a collective commitment across government, business, and local communities to make sure food reaches those in need.\u201d <\/p>\n
Curtis said no single programme can address the issue on its own. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Food Secure Communities programme is intended to complement broader efforts by communities, iwi, service providers and government agencies to support wh\u0101nau experiencing hardship.\u201d <\/p>\n
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cAnd we have p\u0101taka kai we\u2019re filling up regularly throughout the day. \u201cIt\u2019s only got busier and busier…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":633581,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3225,35114,41110,1558,8604,1259,802,6440,26095,11424,564,6871,4729,20557,51218,29013,302,4188,61386,111,43,139,1067,69,1118,19257,2848,42370,30859,102,19135,8598],"class_list":["post-633580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-according","tag-advocates","tag-affected","tag-been","tag-caused","tag-community","tag-costs","tag-ever","tag-everyone","tag-finds","tag-food","tag-has","tag-highest","tag-hitting","tag-hunger","tag-insecurity","tag-its","tag-living","tag-monitor","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-northland","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-rate","tag-severe","tag-soaring","tag-whnau","tag-with","tag-working","tag-worst"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=633580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=633580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}