Rabobank as announced a new partnership agreement with national food rescue charity KiwiHarvest to help reduce food waste in New Zealand.
"Our exciting new partnership will build on our shared values around sustainable food production, community engagement, and thought leadership on this important issue" said Rabobank New Zealand Chief Executive Todd Charteris in a statement.
New Zealand wastes more than 100,000 tonnes of food every year and an estimated 60 per cent of food dumped at landfills is perfectly edible, said Charteris.
"At the same time, around one in five Kiwi children live in households with severe to moderate food insecurity – basically, they don't have enough food on the table".
"Apart from depriving hungry families of nutritious food, this significant waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and squanders resources such as the water, land, energy and labour used to produce it".
Statistics show that New Zealand produces enough food to feed every Kiwi, but for a variety of reasons, it does not always get to those in need.
Large amounts of edible food are wasted because of approaching use-by dates, mislabelling, damaged packaging or cancelled orders.
KiwiHarvest Chief Executive Gavin Findlay (left) and Rabobank New Zealand Chief Executive Todd Charteris at the KiwiHarvest warehouse in South Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Established in 2012, KiwiHarvest collects good food before it goes to waste and gets it to those in need through a number of community and social agencies.
So far, it has saved over 4.1 million kilograms of food and delivered over 11.4 million meals – predominantly fruit and vegetables.
KiwiHarvest operates from five locations around New Zealand – Auckland, the North Shore, Dunedin, Hawkes Bay and Queenstown, with plans to expand into other regions and build a national distribution network.
The national food rescue charity was "delighted" to have Rabobank as a strategic partner "especially in these difficult times" said KiwiHarvest Chief Executive Gavin Findlay.
"With many Kiwis facing food insecurity, there's never been a shortage of demand for our services – even on a normal day. The impact of Covid-19 has been far-reaching with more and more Kiwi families facing financial hardship and struggling to put nutritious food on the table".
At the same time, there is still a large quantity of quality food going to waste.
"Over the last month or so, we've seen that demand for our services grow at a rapid rate. Rabobank's support through this new partnership will allow us to immediately invest in much-needed resources and equipment at our South Auckland warehouse over the coming months, plus another refrigerated vehicle for collecting food."
In the next few years, with Rabobank's support, KiwiHarvest will look to expand into other regions.
Apart from supporting KiwiHarvest’s capacity at its South Auckland warehouse, a key aspect of the new partnership is the opportunity for Rabobank employees across New Zealand to contribute to reducing food waste.
Rabobank has added KiwiHarvest to its New Zealand workplace-giving programme, which means that for every dollar donated by its staff, Rabobank will match it – dollar for dollar.
The new partnership also provided valuable community volunteering and team building opportunities for Rabobank employees across the country, said Charteris.
"And we'll involve KiwiHarvest at key events supported by Rabobank, so together we can spread the word about reducing food waste, supporting families in need and helping the environment all at the same time".
"We're really excited about this new partnership and the opportunities it will provide us all to contribute to a worthy cause".
"Rabobank's global mission is all about Growing a Better World Together. That's what this partnership is all about."
• New Zealand wastes more than 100,000 tonnes of food every year.
• Around 60 per cent of food dumped at landfills is perfectly edible.
• And around 40 per cent of the world's food production does not make it to the plate.
• At the same time, nearly one in five New Zealand children live in households with severe to moderate food insecurity.
About KiwiHarvest
KiwiHarvest is a national New Zealand food rescue charity, whose mission is to reduce the amount of good surplus food that's wasted every day and give it to our most vulnerable communities. It provides a crucial connection between food producers and the community.
• KiwiHarvest has rescued over 4.1 million kilograms of food since 2012 – the tally is currently running at between 80,000 – 100,000 kilograms a month.
• It has delivered the equivalent of over 11.4 million meals to communities in need.
• This includes meat and dairy, fruit and vegetables, bakery items, drinks, ready meals and grocery items worth over $21 million.
• Every $1 donated to KiwiHarvest returns $5.16 in social benefits to the community.
