Te Kai Mākona

With cost-of-living crisis, high rents and low wages, food is often the first thing to get cut back on. Te Kai Mākona means to be satisfied by food. Te Kai Mākona is an evolution of helping provide a longer- term solution to those who are experiencing food hardship in Aotearoa in three ways:

1. Food Provision

Working with whanau (families) responding to their specific requirement and meeting their immediate needs. Food is a priority but establishing a connection helps us provide additional support they may need.

2. Food Empowerment

This is about supporting individuals and families strengthen their own food security by offering a range of kai supports building longer term solutions. These include.

Choosing Kai (food) – social supermarket

Sharing Kai – onsite Pātaka Kai (pantry)

Growing Ka – community gardens

Cooking Kai – Cooking classes Community Kitchens

Buying Kai - Making Healthy choices /Sourcing local produce

3. Advocacy to address the issues

We continue to seek the underlying issues of food insecurity. Through, research, advocacy and working with other organisations Nationally. The work done to date has helped us evolve our response to families and individuals who seek help. In addition to immediate needs, we now have the ability to connect and build relationships. This means our response can intentionally work towards providing food security now and for future generations.

Te Kai Mākona’s mission is caring for people by strengthening food provision, transforming lives by providing supports that build long term food empowerment and reforming society by addressing the underlying causes of food insecurity.