Fonterra & NZFN: A Partnership Nourishing Aotearoa

Since 2020, the New Zealand Food Network’s (NZFN) partnership with Fonterra has grown into a transformative collaboration addressing food insecurity across Aotearoa. Over the years the Co-operative has adapted to changing needs of communities, developed new streams of support, and we’ve constantly looked for ways we can support more Kiwis together.

As a founding donor, Fonterra's initial contributions in 2020 included over four million servings of surplus dairy nutrition to support families in need. After witnessing the capacity and reach of our network, Fonterra doubled down on their commitment with the addition of consistent milk powder gifting, donations of staple dairy products, and initiatives like Christmas giving and volunteering. Donations of gifted milk powder from Fonterra have doubled over time, with more than 8.8 million servings of total gifted product in 2024.

The growth and strength of the partnership has been mutually beneficial, with Fonterra having a clear path to supporting communities and NZFN having a reliable source for much-needed dairy nutrition. Dairy is consistently cited as a top need for our Food Hubs as demand for their services continues to grow. Reflecting on the collaboration, Simon Tucker, Group Director Global External Affairs at Fonterra, said:

“Right from the start, our partnership with the New Zealand Food Network has been strong, both in terms of delivery and service. We have great confidence in working with NZFN, who are helping us to put good quality nutrition into the hands of those who need it most.”

We also have confidence in our partnership with Fonterra, which was highlighted during the devastation of the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023. NZFN immediately received a donation of over a million dairy servings from Fonterra, helping deliver product to Hawke’s Bay in addition to volunteer support to help redistribute other emergency donations. Fonterra was also one of the first to “Pitch In” to our first-ever annual fundraising campaign with a kick-off gift of 8,000 meals, inspiring others to do the same.

Our partnership continues to evolve, and we are truly grateful to work together to have a greater impact on our communities. Below are some examples of how we're working together to get food to where it's needed most.

Our Relationship Flow

NZFN Donor Relationship Flows (3240 x 1620 px)

How We Receive Product from Fonterra

We work with donors to ensure we are maximising the benefit to us both – we accept donations of surplus goods, gifts of much-needed healthy and enjoyable meal staples, and we will work with you to turn what you might call a problem into an opportunity. See below some examples of what this has looked like with Fonterra.

Milk Powder Donations:

To ensure a consistent supply of dairy nutrition throughout the year, Fonterra provides us with nearly 500,000 servings of Anchor milk powder every month. These donations initially came in Anchor 1kg milk powder packs. However, following their own research, feedback from our hubs and the communities they serve, Fonterra switched to an Anchor 400g milk powder packet, allowing donations to reach more whānau and prevent unused product from a 1kg pack going to waste.

Over-labelling:

Over-labelling is sometimes required for products that may have been produced for overseas markets or incorrectly labelled. This is where NZFN can jump in and help with the logistics of over-labelling and delivery. Thanks to this service provided by NZFN, Fonterra has been able to redirect and donate dairy nutrition into our communities.

Surplus Products:

Fonterra always takes the initiative to ensure that surplus product is not wasted and instead makes an impact out in the community. We’re grateful to accept these products as donations and spread them around the country through our network.

Oversized food service surplus donations:

Supplying foodservice businesses globally, Fonterra’s pack formats may often be better suited for a commercial kitchen – such as a 20kg block of butter or a 25kg bag of milk powder. Fortunately, we can put these to good use too! Some of our Food Hubs and the organisations they serve have commercial community kitchens where these bulk formats are gladly received, helping them stretch a recipe further.

Part Crates Project

In 2021 employees at Fonterra’s Takanini site noticed a small number of bottled milk left behind in crates each day (milk is sold by the crate and start-of-run/end-of-run bottles are left over until a full crate is collected). While it was often just a few bottles, employees took the initiative to ask if it could be donated, and Fonterra was happy to find a way to make it work. Teams at Fonterra and NZFN work together to direct these part-crates to an NZFN food hub, given the small volumes.

The project continues to support communities, demonstrating how any amount of product can make a difference.

We love seeing this kind of enthusiasm from the whole team towards our collective mission.

Volunteering:

We are so fortunate that Fonterra have taken a hands-on approach to supporting our vision and operation beyond donated products. Nearly every month we have enthusiastic Fonterra teams coming through our warehouses to help however they can, often repacking, and occasionally re-labelling their own Fonterra products! We encourage all donors to take the time to visit us and pitch in the gift of time volunteering in our warehouses.

Since 2020, Fonterra volunteers have achieved these awesome results:

Total Fonterra Volunteers: 200+
Total kgs of food packed: 77,536
Total boxes packed: 5,100+
Total pallets prepared: 169
Total meal equivalents packed: 170,000+

The Impact in the Community

This strong partnership continues to show the power of cross sector collaboration and is one we are very proud to be a part of. Whether it's surplus or gifted product, we are grateful to be working with Fonterra to get food to where it’s needed most.