Source: Radio New Zealand
Auckland City missioner Helen Robinson says some foodbanks would close without government funding. RNZ Insight / Sarah Robson
The country’s biggest foodbanks are warning of substantial closures if the government does not provide ongoing funding next year.
The Salvation Army, Auckland City Mission and Food Network are among the organisations that received one-off grants till mid-2026.
They are renewing their call for ongoing government funding as they look ahead to next year.
Salvation Army food security manager Sonya Cameron said planning started now for stocking foodbanks next year and the future was uncertain.
“It’s a very high risk. Salvation Army will stay open … but other organisations are even more vulnerable, we’ve already seen a lot of foodbanks close down in the past,” Cameron said.
“I don’t know how many would close down but I suspect it would be substantial.”
She said without ongoing government funding, the Salvation Army would have to reduce the amount of food given out from its 60 foodbanks.
More than half a million New Zealanders rely on foodbanks and food rescue organisations for support.
Sonya Cameron without government funding the Salvation Army would have to reduce the amount of food its foodbanks distribute. SUPPLIED/The Salvation Army
Auckland City missioner Helen Robinson said they provide food every day to people who cannot make ends meet.
“Every year we’re left wondering if we’ll be funded. It’s unsustainable,” she said.
“We need to plan, staff, and stock our foodbanks with confidence. That’s impossible when we’re constantly having to re-justify our existence every year to secure funding.”
Robinson said if government funding stopped, some foodbanks would close doors.
“While we will always be there to support whānau, when other services close, it increases pressure on everyone and ultimately means some whānau who are hungry will not be able to access food.”
The Salvation Army and Auckland City Mission are among food banks and hubs that received one-off government grants this year, for the mission that meant it did not have to reduce the number of food parcels it distributes.
That funding, through the Ministry of Social Development’s Food Secure Communities programme, runs till the end of June 2026.
It was renewed after a collective of foodbanks wrote to Social Development Minister Louise Upston asking for ongoing sustainable funding before the May budget announcement.
Foodbanks started to receive direct government funding in 2020 during the pandemic, and over the following four years more than $200 million was invested in the sector. Since then it had been on a one-off basis only.
Food security funding was extended with one-off grants to 13 providers last year, including the mission, which received a one-off $700,000 from the ministry for food parcels.
Earlier this year, the ministry said it was reviewing the way foodbanks were funded.
Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance head, Tracey Watene, told Midday Report rescued food is a crucial part of what foodbanks offer.
“If funding drops off, thousands of meals will disappear, millions of kilos of edible kai will be wasted, staff will be lost and services will close,” she said.
“The entire food support network, foodbanks, community groups and food rescue, will be weakened just when New Zealanders need it most.”
The alliance received some MSD funding and had diversified to bolster its books.
“Food rescue isn’t the long term fix but it’s what keeps families fed while we work on those bigger economic and food system challenges. Until we address the route causes we need stable funding to keep whanau well.”
She said it took them time to advocate for annual grants which were needed every year.
“Multi-year funding means stability and stability means more kai reaching more whanau,” Watene said.
“Zero funding means that places close and our community and our whanau are doing it extremely tough at the moment.”
New Zealand Food Network chief executive Gavin Findlay said the lack of a multi-year commitment from government meant providers were left in limbo.
“Christmas is a time when many think about giving, but hunger isn’t seasonal. More than 500,000 New Zealanders rely on foodbanks and food rescue organisations for support.”
He said frontline teams across the country were seeing familiar faces return regularly, including families who were working, budgeting carefully and still unable to afford enough food.
“Food security relies on a whole ecosystem, from national distributors to local foodbanks, food support and food rescue organisations,” Findlay said.
“Our role is to keep that system strong and responsive, including during emergencies. That can be done much more effectively and efficiently when funding is stable and allows everyone to plan ahead.”
He said the pressure on foodbanks had intensified in the last year, especially for those on the lowest incomes.
MSD’s General Manager for Pacific and Community Capability Programmes, Serena Curtis, said the ministry has invested more than $200 million through its Food Secure Communities (FSC) programme since 2020.
“We have always been clear with the sector that funding for the FSC Programme is time-limited.”
Curtis said half of the additional funding was for monitoring and evaluating the impact of the programme.
“This work is underway, and we expect to receive an evaluation report in early 2026,” Curtis said.
The FSC programme has funded the creation and maintenance of national and regional food distribution infrastructure.
“Community food providers are now better connected and can support each other through the national partner organisations we have invested in, such as the New Zealand Food Network, Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective, and the Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance.”
From July to September this year, MSD provided $32.5m to provide 327,705 food grants.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
