Far North’s Te Hiku Pātaka part of network feeding 500,000 a month as demand soars

The Te Hiku Pātaka, a supermarket that provides food for low-income people in the town, opened in 2022, but increased demand means it needs more help. DeeAnn Wolferstan (left), Katie Murray and Merihi Langford check out the new pataka when it opened.

A Northland Food Hub is helping feed more than half a million people a month along with counterparts across the country, but with the increasing demand, many are struggling to get enough stock for their clients.

In the Far North, the Te Hiku Pātaka in Kaitāia - run like a supermarket - is part of the Food Hubs programme from New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), which collectively feed more than 500,000 people every month as food security becomes a big issue for many. The Te Hiku Pātaka is the only supermarket of its kind in Northland, after being set up in 2022, but more are on the way.

However, confronting new data from the NZFN reveals that as a result of the increased demand, Food Hubs are being forced to decrease the sizes of food parcels and turn new recipients away.

One of the Northland Food Hubs in the survey was Te Hiku Pātaka which supports whānau and iwi of the Far North region from Kaitāia.

Trish King, pātaka manager, said that the number of people coming to them has increased, and the main reasons are unemployment, rising cost of living, and low household / individual income due to low-paying jobs.

Trish King, Te Hiku Pātaka manager, in the pātaka’s supermarket in Kaitāia.

King said that 31.5% of their monthly recipients are new, and with food prices reported to have increased by 2.4% in the 12 months leading up to February 2025 (according to Stats NZ) it’s clear that food insecurity is impacting people from all socio-economic backgrounds.

She said the pātaka, run by Waitomo Papakāinga, is available for all who need help with food security and the service had recently seen an upsurge of low-income families needing food to survive.

King said the cost of living was hitting everybody hard and even families with both parents working, were struggling.

When the Northland Age visited the pātaka, John (not his real name) was there for the first time picking up food after he had not eaten for nearly 48 hours.

John said he was struggling under the cost-of-living crisis, and he had picked up food parcels from other organisations but loved the pātaka as he was able to choose what he needed.

“With the food parcels, there are things in there that are not for me and might go to waste, but here, I can choose exactly what I need. It’s blooming amazing here and give me some control as I can choose what I like and can eat,” he said.

John walked out with three bags of food that he reckons will last him a week, and he was grateful for the help provided.

Trish King in the gardens that provide fruit and vegetables for the pātaka’s social supermarket.

King said that ability to choose what was appropriate was what set the pātaka apart and the clients got a greater sense of worth being able to “shop as normal”.

She said they assess all people who come through the door and allocate them points according to their needs, such as did they have children and how many, dietary needs, etc. The food items were allocated points and customers could spend their points however they wanted. For example, a tin of tuna was two points and a tin of corned beef three points and a tin of beans two points.

“As part of those [assessments] we hear some pretty sad stories and there are so many people out there that are struggling. We hear of people having to make the tough decisions, like whether to spend money on going to the doctor or petrol for the car or food - it’s so sad that people are having to choose between their health needs and kai.”

And the demand was growing so much that the pātaka had extended its opening hours.

King said the pātaka was supported by many local businesses and individuals, but more help was always needed.

Some of the companies that supply food to the Te Hiku Pātaka in Kaitāia.

“Meat is the hardest thing to get enough of. We have some wonderful farmers who will give us beasts and we do the butchering to give to our families, but we always need more. As well, many people that have our own fruit trees or gardens bring their excess in and we distribute that too.”

As well, the pātaka had its own vegetable gardens to provide fresh produce.

“It’s just so heart-wrenching that people are so worried about where they are going to get their next feed from and the cost-of-living crisis is making the situation worse,” she said.

Having the wonderful support from New Zealand Food Network really helped the pātaka and its customers, King said.

“Thank you for all the kai you send to Northland, you don’t realise how much of a huge impact NZFN is making in [our recipient’s] lives.”

Latest findings from NZFN, Aotearoa’s largest “for-purpose” surplus food distributor, reveal that its recipient Food Hubs are now feeding over half a million people per month, while struggling with the same amount of stock levels.

NZFN’s Food Security Snapshot is conducted twice a year to better understand the state of food security for its 60+ recipient Food Hubs.

The data from July to December 2024 shows that NZFN provided food to over 500,000 individuals each month through its partner Food Hubs, an increase from approximately 454,000 in the previous six months. During the same period, the Food Hubs distributed over 13 million kilograms of food to the community, a slight increase from 12.3 million kilograms in the first half of the year.

Despite the growing demand for food support nationwide, NZFN’s Food Hubs are struggling to distribute enough stock, forcing them to reduce the size of food parcels and turn away new recipient agencies.

“These findings highlight something that we have been hearing anecdotally for months: that the need for food support is climbing exponentially, and more Kiwi families are turning to support services as financial strain means making some really difficult sacrifices,” Gavin Findlay, NZFN CEO, said.

NZ Food Network chief executive Gavin Findlay says more help is needed for the 60+ Food Hubs it supports to feed more than 500,000 people in need a month, including in Northland.

Food Hubs reported that almost a third (30%) of their monthly recipients are new, a challenge that has been consistent in every snapshot.

There is ongoing evidence that food insecurity is impacting Kiwis from all walks of life, often those who are employed and from dual-income households but still struggle to make ends meet.

Mirroring this socio-economic landscape, the most frequently reported reasons for people seeking assistance from Food Hubs have remained consistent with the rising cost of living as the most stated reason (93%) followed by low household / individual income due to low-paying jobs (67%), unemployment (59%), and unexpected bills or expenses (51%).

On average, NZFN is supplying approximately 45% of the supply for food support distribution via its hubs across the country and continues to be an integral part of Aotearoa’s food security ecosystem. While most Food Hubs have relationships with multiple food suppliers to help meet demand, 39% of hubs are receiving more than half of their stock from NZFN.

As the supply of this good food continues to be outstripped by demand, NZFN is putting the call out to New Zealand to step up to the plate and support.

“If you’re a food business looking for a solution to your surplus, can donate some stock, or anyone able to support with financial donations so we can purchase high quality, nutritious food and essential items, please get in touch with us so we can continue getting food where it’s needed most,’ Findlay says.

”The need is only getting worse.”