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Food Rescue in the News this Month

ByRohan

With Budget 2025 on the horizon and government funding for food rescue set to expire in June, we had a big question for Kiwis: do they think the Government should keep supporting food rescue? The answer? A resounding YES. Our latest survey found 75% of Kiwis believe the government should do more to stop perfectly good food from going to waste. The same percentage also thinks the government should help fund food rescue. That’s some serious backing.

Dive into the latest news stories covering this important topic, including conversations with our GM, Iain Lees-Galloway, on the incredible impact of our members and why baseline funding for food rescue in Budget 2025 is so crucial for their future.

Food rescue organisations fear imminent funding end: Radio New Zealand (RNZ) featured an interview on Nine to Noon, where Iain Lees-Galloway discussed the potential impact on food rescue organisations if government funding is not renewed. Alongside Gavin Findlay from NZFN, he highlighted the risk of closures or cutbacks. Read and listen here. 

The not-so-obvious cost of failings in the school lunch programme: The Post published an op-ed by Iain Lees-Galloway (also published in the Waikato Times) which explored the high levels of waste within the current school lunch programme, emphasising the critical role our members play in reducing waste and feeding communities. The piece also underscored the importance of securing baseline funding for food rescue in Budget 2025. Read here.

Tackling food waste: The growing issue in school lunches: Iain Lees-Galloway joined RNZ’s The Panel to discuss his op-ed above, also highlighting the incredible work being done by our food rescue members and public backing for government funding food rescue. Listen to the full discussion here (the conversation begins at around 5:00 minutes).

Waatea News, Newstalk ZB’s news bulletins, Supermarket News and Foodticker also reported on our survey findings.

The Road Ahead

As we continue to push for sustainable funding for food rescue, these survey results and media discussions reinforce a clear message: New Zealanders want action on food waste. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this important work.

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