Kai with kindness stand out in NZ 'Food Hero' winners - New ...

Kai with kindness stand out in NZ ‘Food Hero’ winners

Transforming tonnes of supermarket surplus food – including 26,000 eggs – into fresh food parcels
for thousands of people in need during lockdown has seen West Auckland-based Fair Food
Charitable Trust named the country’s ‘food heroes’.

The trust took out the Massey University Supreme Winner NZ Food Heroes Award title in the New
Zealand Food Awards’ ‘food heroes’ campaign.

                                                      Winners in seven categories were announced
                                                      last night from 48 finalists selected from over
                                                      340 nominations. They represent Aotearoa’s
                                                      unsung food heroes – including a tourism
                                                      company, industry bodies, community groups,
                                                      small-town supermarket workers and cafés.
                                                      The unique awards have shone a light on the
                                                      phenomenal nation-wide, behind-the-scenes
                                                      efforts of volunteers and staff from charities,
                                                      businesses and individuals to ensure kindness
                                                      and kai were in plentiful supply during New
                                                      Zealand’s Covid-19 response.

Winners of the Greater Good NZ Food Heroes Award, Fair Food Charitable Trust was chosen as the
Supreme Winner for “the way it demonstrated excellent team work and leadership in order to
significantly upscale a food rescue and distribution service to provide food for over 20,000 people in
need a week.”

In 2019 they rescued 121 tons of food (equal to 348,000 meals) – then due to Covid-19, they
radically scaled up their response rescuing on average 143 tonnes (over 400,000 meals) per month in
2020.

Fair Food was founded in 2011 and is a proven, well-established food rescue operation in West
Auckland that was solely mobile. To meet increased demand they set up distribution bases in Oratia,
Avondale, Henderson and Avondale. The organisation was nominated for upscaling efforts during
the pandemic and building on a legacy of rescuing surplus fit-to-eat food for people in need,
addressing social and environmental issues – such as food waste – that were among our most urgent
even before COVID-19 struck.

Veronica Shale, Executive Director at Fair Food Charitable Trust, acknowledged her colleagues for
“this critical unseen work in our local community and in pockets across New Zealand. Local food
heroes each and every one of them. Take a bow!”

Professor Ray Geor, Pro Vice-Chancellor College of Sciences and New Zealand Food Awards
governance

board chair says Fair Food Charitable Trust; “embodies the Kiwi spirit that the New Zealand Food
Awards and the NZ Food Heroes campaign stand for.

“They combined sustainability, business innovation, excellent team work and leadership - all while
caring for the vulnerable in a time of need. Taking a purely mobile model that delivered 121 tonnes
of food in 2019 to a distribution model with four sites to deliver 143 tonnes of food per month
during lockdown is nothing short of exceptional.”

                                          ‘Food hero’ focus in pandemic twist for NZ Food Awards

                                           Due to the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
                                           New Zealand Food Awards powered by Massey University
                                           shifted from their usual programme this year to instead
                                           delivering a community-focussed celebration of
                                           innovators across all sectors of the food and beverage
                                           industry. The aim was to showcase and celebrate the
                                           unsung heroes who worked hard behind the scenes in
                                           unprecedented circumstances to make sure people
                                           everywhere had food on the table. An online campaign
was launched in July to call for nominations, and the results of public voting culminated in a gala
dinner in Auckland’s Cordis Hotel last night to announce and celebrate winners.

Professor Geor says that; “with our history and
involvement in the food and beverage sector, it has been
the New Zealand Food Awards and Massey University’s
honour to acknowledge the often unseen efforts of this
sector during Aotearoa’s time of need. I was humbled to
see so many inspiring organisations and individuals
showcase Kiwi compassion and innovation while facing
global challenges of an unprecedented nature.”

Winners of the People’s Choice NZ Food Heroes Award,
the Supreme Sikh Society, started a food bank at the Sikh Temple in Takanini, aiming to distribute
1100 food parcels to people struggling during the lockdown. They were able to feed around 66,000
families from Auckland right down to Queenstown impacted by the lockdown with their simple
motive to “recognise the whole human race as one”.

Other winners were the team at New World Foxton, for the way they engaged with the community,
                                          continued to support food chain industry and adapted
                                          their services – picking up donations to a local food
                                          bank and Women’s Refuge.

                                             Local Hero NZ Food Heroes Award Winner Diana Greer
                                             developed the 'Collective Hug' group to help support
                                             the rural community in her Hawke’s Bay region
                                             through food parcel distribution, while Innovators NZ
                                             Food Heroes Award Winner SOS café provided much
                                             needed cash and support to local cafes with their
                                             innovative initiative.

Industry Supporter NZ Food Heroes Award Winner, the Restaurant Association of New Zealand, was
recognised as a hero for its commitment to members by lobbying for wage support, providing
navigation of legal matters, as well as much needed encouragement and training webinars for their
members to use the lockdown time effectively.

The Dream Team NZ Food Heroes Award Winner
Waitarere Beach Four Square were honoured for
their unique, local and amazing story of Kiwi
community spirit. Catering to their small community
of approximately 700 people, Waitarere Beach Four
Square was open every day managing the needs of
their residents so that the community could ‘remain
a bubble’ for a lengthy period of time.

“This would not have been possible without the dedication shown by all at the Waitarere Beach Four
Square staff. To us they are the heroes who kept our sanity, provided a smiling face every day and
maintained the calm which was all important during this stressful time,” says their nominator.

Category winners:

   •   Massey University Supreme Winner NZ Food Heroes Award: Fair Food Charitable Trust
   •   Countdown People's Choice NZ Food Heroes Award: Supreme Sikh Society
   •   New Zealand Food Safety Outstanding Service NZ Food Heroes Award: New World Foxton
       Cuisine Local Hero NZ Food Heroes Award: Diana Greer
   •   James and Wells Innovators NZ Food Heroes Award: SOS Café
       New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Industry Supporter NZ Food Heroes Award: Restaurant
       Association of New Zealand
   •   Palmerston North City Council Greater Good NZ Food Heroes Award: Fair Food Charitable
       Trust
   •   AsureQuality The Dream Team NZ Food Heroes Award: Waitarere Beach Four Square staff

Graham Rouse, from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, one of 20 judges for the awards, said; “It’s
been incredibly inspiring to see so many worthy organisations and individuals nominated for the
awards. And although our nominees span different categories and geographical locations, it was
heartening to see so many of them underpinned by the value of ‘care’. That’s important because we
know that consumers around the world are looking for safe, nutritious, premium quality, ethical and
tasty food and beverages. Through our value of care, New Zealand is perfectly placed to meet these
needs.”

Apart from Massey University, as principal sponsor and event organiser, the awards are made
possible with the support of New Zealand Food Safety, Countdown, Cuisine Magazine, James &
Wells, AsureQuality, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Villa Maria, The Intermedia Group New
Zealand, Palmerston North City Council, FoodHQ , The FoodBowl, XPO, and The FoodPilot.

Winning products earn the New Zealand Food Award’s quality mark to highlight their innovation and
excellence to shoppers and industry.

For more information, please visit www.foodawards.co.nz

Or follow us on social media:

    •   Facebook: @NewZealandFoodAwards
    •   Twitter: @NZFoodAwards
    •   Instagram: @NewZealandFoodAwards

Captions: (from top) Supreme Winner Fair Food Charitable Trust staff members; Sikh community
volunteers packing free food parcels (images supplied by Amritpal Singh Mann); Professor Ray
Geor presenting the Massey University Supreme Winner NZ Food Heroes Award, New Zealand
Food Awards trophy on display.

For more information contact Jennifer Little: 027 453 4562 or j.little@massey.ac.nz