Breaking the Cycle of Food Bank Reliance in Taranaki

The cost-of-living crisis is having a profound impact on communities across New Zealand, with many struggling to access basic necessities like food. In Taranaki, one foodbank, Waitara Pataka Kai, has taken a bold approach to address this issue by prioritizing food sovereignty and community-led initiatives.

The Problem: A Broken Food Bank Model

Staff at the Waitara Foodbank have seen an influx of new faces walking through their doors, but community donations are not keeping pace. The foodbank’s co-chairperson, Tiri Porter (Te Ātiawa, Ngāpuhi), says more needs to be done.

“It’s desperate times for people. The cost-of-living crisis affects us all and it’s aggravated for a generation of people who have never learned how to cook or grow kai,” Porter said. “The foodbank system is broken, it’s operating on a model of dependency for funding and for many of our regular users. This has to change because it’s simply unsustainable.”

A New Approach: Food Resilience

Instead of relying solely on donations, Waitara Pataka Kai is focusing on building community-led initiatives that promote food sovereignty and self-sufficiency. One key project is the development of a community garden.

“Everything that we do here is community-led and community-driven, we’re listening to the people,” said Amy [Last Name], coordinator at Waitara Pataka Kai. “A lot of people said they would just love to have somewhere they could go to freely and hang out with other people. It wasn’t even just about the food – it shocked me actually – one of the main reasons people would want a community garden is the social side of it.”

Connecting to the Land

The Waitara branch has also become a hub for connecting people to other health and well-being services. Amy [Last Name] says that the community garden will not only provide fresh produce but also offer a space for people to grow their own kai.

“Having a community garden would allow people to potter freely and take information home to start their own garden. For those who could not due to their living situation, the community garden would allow for individual whānau māra kai,” she said.

The Social Side of Food Banks

The Waitara branch has discovered that one of the main reasons people want a community garden is the social aspect. Amy [Last Name] says that food banks often only address one aspect of someone’s needs, but the reality is that many people struggle with multiple issues.

“Because food is often only one of the things that someone needs, and if you’re hungry, there’s 12 other things that suffer,” Olsen said. “Everything’s hard because it’s not just food [prices] that went up, everything went up.”

A Call to Action

The Waitara Foodbank – Pataka Kai is overwhelmed with gratitude for the donations they received during their annual community collections run on December 1st. However, they are still in need of land and support to turn their six-month dream into a reality.

To learn more about Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, [Daily Newsletter Curated by Radionz Editors](https://radionz.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=211a938dcf3e634ba2427dde9&id=b3d362e693)

In conclusion, the Waitara Foodbank – Pataka Kai is taking a bold step towards creating a more resilient and self-sufficient community. By prioritizing food sovereignty and community-led initiatives, they are providing a holistic approach to addressing the complex issues faced by those struggling with hunger and poverty. As Amy [Last Name] so eloquently put it, “It’s not just about the food coming out of it, it’s about the mahi that they’re doing on themselves and being out there growing.”