One Kitchen, 300 Lunches and a Stronger Community
August 27, 2026
When people have the chance to share kai, skills and time, good things happen. Our partner charity, Fair Food, and Te Mātāwai are turning rescued food into meals, opportunities and stronger connections across the community.
Fair Food and Te Mātāwai are bringing people together to tackle hunger while reducing food waste.
The partnership began when Kāinga Ora created a shared kitchen in New Zealand's largest social housing community. It gave residents a place to cook, share kai and connect. But without food to cook with, the kitchen was barely being used.
That's where Fair Food stepped in. By supplying rescued kai, Fair Food has helped neighbours come together over food. Community leaders also joined a catering course run by Fair Food, giving them the skills to make a free, zero waste lunch for up to 300 people onsite each week.
Te Mātāwai residents also spend Thursday afternoons volunteering in Fair Food's Conscious Kitchen. Together, they’ve rescued nearly 50 tonnes of food this year. They also fill the local pātaka kai, helping people in the city centre access nutritious food when it's convenient for them.
This two-way partnership has become an important part of helping improve access to food for this community.
But Te Mātāwai's impact goes well beyond the kitchen.
Before he started volunteering, Rangi was spending much of his time at home. Now, he's a key leader in Fair Food's hospitality skills programme, teaching rangatahi how to work in a commercial kitchen.
He's well known for his fry bread, but that's not all he brings to the table. Rangi also shares recipe tips through Fair Food's zero waste video series. He's become a familiar face across many of the community kitchens in the city centre, offering support and building whanaungatanga along the way.
Te Mātāwai's generosity and commitment are strengthening their own neighbourhood and Fair Food's wider community.
At Fair Food's Matariki celebration, Te Mātāwai was recognised with the Tupuārangi Outstanding Volunteer Award, alongside a network of more than 600 monthly volunteers.
By sharing kai, skills and time, Fair Food and Te Mātāwai are helping people feed their neighbours, reduce food waste and build a stronger community, one bite at a time.
Words and images supplied by Fair Food.
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