Kaibosh Food Rescue

Meet Kaibosh – the first food rescue of NZ

Kaibosh was founded in 2008 as the first dedicated food rescue organisation of Aotearoa. We rescue and redistribute good quality surplus food from 90 food businesses in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Awa Kairangi, Kāpiti and Horowhenua – connecting good kai with 140 charities and community groups supporting people in need.

We operate in Wellington, the Hutt Valley, Kāpiti and Horowhenua.

We link the food industry with community groups that support people in need ensuring that quality surplus food reaches those who are struggling rather than being needlessly discarded. This benefits both our community and our environment.

Our vision

Zero Food Poverty, Zero Food Waste.

Our mission

To be the link between the food industry and those that support people in need.

Where we operate

Kaibosh has three branches in Wellington City, Lower Hutt and Paraparaumu. With the help of a dedicated team of more than 220 volunteers, we rescue and sort food seven days a week.

We redistribute up to 65,000kg of quality surplus food each month to charities and community groups that support people in need. This is the equivalent of 185,714 meals worth of good kai provided to those who need it most, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 172,250 kg CO2e.

Kaibosh provides this service at no cost to food donors, charities or community groups.

Why we do it

Food rescue is good for our community and environment in many ways:

• Charities and community groups receive a wide range of healthy, nutritious food.
• This food is provided free of charge, allowing community groups to focus their limited resources on providing valuable services.
• Stopping quality food from being thrown out significantly cuts down the amount of carbon emissions entering the atmosphere.
• Food donors make a valuable contribution by providing food to those in their community who need it most.
• Volunteers have a direct and positive impact on their community and environment.