Working Together to Deliver Kai Where It’s Needed Most.

In the years following the Covid-19 response, Kōkiri Marae Pātaka Kai has remained a vital source of support for whānau across Te Awa Kairangi. Established to meet urgent community need, the kaupapa continues to play a critical role five years on, ensuring whānau can access kai in a way that upholds dignity, mana, and collective care.

Through strong partnerships and a shared commitment to community wellbeing, Kōkiri Marae Pātaka Kai has grown into an important hub for food security, supporting whānau across Wainuiomata, Eastbourne, the Western Hills, Petone, Naenae and Taita. In the past year alone, 10,597kgs of rescued kai has been redistributed — turning surplus food into practical support for whānau while reducing waste across the wider food system. In March alone, 920 kai parcels were delivered, reaching 3,511 whānau members.

This impact has been made possible through collaboration. Healthy Families Hutt Valley has supported the kaupapa by providing access to an electric vehicle, helping reduce one of the biggest pressures facing a self-funded initiative: fuel costs. Alongside this, Tui Kingi, Systems innovator has contributed his time to support 290 kai deliveries, helping ensure kai continues to reach whānau despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

As Rawinia Kingi from Kōkiri Marae Pātaka Kai shared, “By removing the heavy financial burden of rising fuel costs, you are directly enabling us to stay operational. This support ensures that our limited funds are not being swallowed up at the pump, but instead redirected toward our core mission — providing essential kai for our whānau.”

This partnership reflects the Healthy Families approach in action, working alongside communities, strengthening existing leadership, and supporting systems that are locally driven and sustainable. Rather than duplicating what already exists, Healthy Families has played an enabling role, helping remove barriers so trusted, community-led solutions can continue to thrive.

Kōkiri Marae Pātaka Kai is part of a wider interconnected ecosystem that includes Whare Kākahu, Te Kihini and Māra Kai, all contributing to long-term resilience, wellbeing and collective responsibility. Together, these initiatives show what is possible when communities are resourced to lead in ways that reflect their values, strengths and aspirations.

This story also highlights a wider systems shift: recognising that food access is not simply an individual or household issue, but one shaped by transport, cost pressures, infrastructure and equity. Continued investment in partnerships like this demonstrates how practical support, aligned with community leadership, can create real and measurable impact.

To find out more or support the kaupapa, visit Kōkiri Marae Pātaka Kai’s get involved page.