Illustration of a family with a basket of food.

Food Secure Communities

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Resources and support for community food providers

Kia ora koutou

The Food Secure Communities programme supports the community food sector, who work alongside people and whānau experiencing food insecurity. Here you will find information about our programme and funding rounds, as well as guidance for community food providers.

MSD’s Food Secure Communities programme was established in 2020 and has invested more than $200 million dollars in the community food sector. This funding supported community food providers to meet the increased demand for food driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities also developed food security plans and pilot projects to increase vulnerable communities’ access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate kai.

A key focus for MSD is investment in the nation-wide community food distribution network. This includes the New Zealand Food Network’s distribution centres as well as supporting a network of community food hubs and food banks to increase food support in difficult times. Our infrastructure investment has increased capacity and created efficiencies in the procurement and distribution of food to communities.

If you are looking for support with food for you or your whānau, then you may want to see if you are eligible for financial assistance

Check what you might get here

You may also want to access food support from one of the many community food providers across New Zealand. Find the one nearest you by checking the Family Services Directory website

Food Secure Communities funding

Budget 2023 provided time-limited funding for the Food Secure Communities programme. In the 2023/24 financial year this enabled:

Maintenance of the community food distribution infrastructure to collect and deliver high volumes of surplus and wholesale food ($7.5m for the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance (AFRA), Kore Hiakai and regional community food hubs for two years)
Transitional funding to support community food providers (foodbanks) to meet current increased demand and transition out of reliance on government funding ($8.3m).
Funding community food provision in regions affected by the North Island Weather Events (NIWE) $6 million over two years (to June 2024).

For the financial year 2024/25, the existing funding in place to support the maintenance of the community food distribution infrastructure continues to 30 June 2025 ($7.5m for NZFN, AFRA, Kore Hiakai and regional community food hubs).

In consideration of the increased demand for ongoing food support in the community, the Government has agreed that $7.5 million of time-limited funding will also be available in 2024/25 to support the community food sector. This funding will be allocated to:

Support up to 50 community food providers to meet high demand ($6m).
Invest in or expand up to ten food security initiatives which aim to increase the amount of healthy and affordable food in communities ($1.5m).

We are currently finalising the process to identify providers to receive this funding. Due to the targeted nature of this funding, we will be in touch with your organisation if you are eligible for funding.

Find out more about Food Secure Communities funding rounds.

All New Zealanders can continue to apply for Emergency Special Needs Grants for food. If you, or families or individuals you are engaging with are finding it hard to meet certain living costs, or get an unexpected bill, they can either visit the MSD website www.workandincome.govt.nz or call 0800 559 009 to talk with us about their situation.

If you have any questions about this decision, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at MSD_Food_Secure_Communities@msd.govt.nz

National partner organisations funding

The Ministry of Social Development is funding three national partner organisations to build sector capability and increase the supply of surplus food for providers.

The three organisations are: