How NZFN Works
Food Donors
With one simple email or call to NZFN, food businesses can identify and direct any volume of bulk surplus food or gifted donations.
NZ Food Network
Food Hubs
*Food Hubs include food rescues, food banks, social services, iwi and other charitable organisations.
Recipients
NZFN was set up as one simple solution to two major issues; good food ending up in landfill and the rising rate of food insecurity in New Zealand.
Our Founder, Deborah Manning, setup NZFN at the beginning of 2020. Drawing on her 10 + years of experience working in the food rescue sector (also Founder of KiwiHarvest), Deborah saw there was a gap in the food rescue sector.
Thousands of tonnes of good food was still ending up in landfill and it was clear that traditional food rescues did not have the infrastructure to handle these volumes on their own. NZFN was set up to collect, sort and redistribute bulk surplus food and get it to where it’s needed most.
With primary funding from the Ministry of Social Development NZFN is distributing, on average, 600 tonnes of food each month. Equivalent to over 1.7 million meal equivalents being delivered to 64 charitable organisations across the country, including those in some of the most remote and hardest to reach regions.
OUR VISION
OUR PURPOSE
OUR VALUES
- Flexibility: Being flexible and adaptable
- Collaboration: Collaborating with others
- Growth: Helping people grow and develop
- Effort: Recognising people’s efforts
PRIMARY FUNDING PARTNER
SEED FUNDING PARTNERS
NZFN is a coordinated, nationwide effort, spanning the private, social and government sectors, brought to life through the generous support of a number of passionate and dedicated partners.
New Zealand Food Network is proudly working with Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance, Ministry of Social Development and Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective to help build the capacity and capability of foodbanks, food rescue and community food services and prevent further shocks to food security in New Zealand.
Awards and Achievements
Monthly Update
NZFN Governance
David Kirk, NZFN Board Chair, will be a familiar figure for many New Zealanders, thanks to his achievements at the top levels of both business and sport.
Having captained the All Blacks to victory at the 1987 Rugby World Cup – David went on to become Co-Founder and Chairman of Bailador Technology Investments, Chairman of KMD Brands and Forsyth Barr, and also currently sits as a director on multiple boards.
He was awarded an MBE in 1988, and also spent a period of time as a Chief Policy Advisor to former New Zealand Prime Minister, Jim Bolger.
Deborah is a dedicated and passionate board member of the New Zealand Food Network. With a background in law and a deep sense of social responsibility, Deborah brings invaluable expertise and a compassionate heart to her role as a key advocate for our mission.
Having started the food rescue KiwiHarvest in New Zealand in 2012, Deborah soon recognised the need for a nationwide distribution network that could connect food producers with social service organisations to provide bulk nutritious food.
In addition to her role as founder of NZFN, Deborah is a trustee and inaugural member of New Zealand Food Waste Champions 12.3 – a coalition of representatives from across New Zealand’s food supply chain who are committed to halving food waste by 2030, and a leading voice in advocacy, strategy and education on food waste issues.
Deborah regularly speaks to groups on food rescue and social entrepreneurship and mentors university students undertaking community consulting programmes.
Suneil is the Group Chief Financial Officer for Service Foods. He is a Chartered Accountant and board member of Auckland Foundation and KiwiHarvest. Suneil holds the position of Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for New Zealand Food Network, KiwiHarvest and Auckland Foundation. Suneil is also a Committee Member & Treasurer of the Auckland Branch of the Institute of Directors and has been a judge for the Auckland Emerging Director Award since 2019.
Ray is the General Manager for Operations Excellence at DHL Supply Chain and a NZFN Board member. He is married to wife Karen and the father of three.
He has over 25 years’ experience in freight, warehousing, manufacturing and IT in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Germany. Industries include FMCG, building products and engineering services.
An avid touch football and rugby coach, Ray managed programmes to assist families with sports gear as well as support initiatives to encourage Te Reo Maori and Manaakitanga within the business community.
Erica has over 20 years’ experience working in senior leadership roles for market-leading organisations across the FMCG, Infrastructure, Professional Services and the Technology Sectors. Erica is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Cyma Limited, and is a member of the Institute of Directors and a Chartered Accountant. She has also held roles as an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer for WSP Limited, and finance and governance leadership roles for Coca-Cola, both here and in the UK.
Erica is passionate about ensuring people are at the heart of everything we do, and feels strongly about the difference NZFN can have in people’s lives, addressing food insecurity within Aotearoa, and ensuring people have access to the necessities required to have a healthy life.
NZFN Management Team
Deborah is the founder of the New Zealand Food Network, an accomplished entrepreneur, and strategic engagement advisor with a passion for creating impactful change.
Deborah’s journey began with a profound desire to address the pressing challenges of food waste and food insecurity and make a positive impact on society. In 2012, from the back of her car, she founded KiwiHarvest which is now New Zealand’s largest food rescue organisation with branches across the country. Seeing the need for a bigger solution to the growing amounts of food waste and food insecurity, she established the New Zealand Food Network to support food hubs across the country and provide a socially positive solution for businesses to provide surplus and short-dated food.
As our Strategic Engagement Advisor, Deborah plays a crucial role in helping establish and maintain relationships with our stakeholders while identifying emerging opportunities and potential challenges in a rapidly changing business environment.
Gavin, our CEO, joined the New Zealand Food Network from a varied career spanning the travel, aviation, business and logistics sectors.
As a former Officer in the Royal Air Force (based in the UK), Gavin has spent time working with vulnerable communities and individuals across all corners of the globe – an experience which, still today, continues to fuel his passion for making a difference in and for New Zealand’s food insecure communities.
Hilary has joined NZFN as the Marketing and Communications Manager (Contract), bringing with her over a decade of experience in marketing, communications, and design within the not-for-profit sector. Prior to her role at NZFN, Hilary served with a conservation authority and operated her own marketing and communications consultancy in Canada. Her professional journey encompasses engagement with local, national, and international organizations, all dedicated to various causes including children’s rights, homelessness, social enterprise, and food security.
With a strong background in and genuine passion for food security, Hilary is eager to contribute her insights to NZFN.
Jeff is NZFN’s Finance Manager and has over twenty years’ experience in a variety of finance roles. His focus includes financial management and internal control, continuance improvement, and staff development. Jeff is proud to play a part in the work that NZFN does in supporting food banks and rescue organisations nationwide. Originally from South Canterbury, he enjoys living in Auckland with his wife.
Kristen has an extensive background in operations and supply chain management having worked in Australia and NZ, with both Large Multinationals and smaller family owned businesses. Leading small and large teams across procurement, warehousing and manufacturing. “My ‘why’ for joining the team is to help the communities by creating the most streamlined innovative solutions team for them within NZFN.”
In her spare time Kristen loves exploring the great outdoors and karate, both of which she is currently active in.
Natalie, an experienced supply chain professional with a background in food and packaging industries, brings expertise in procurement, supplier relationship management, and supply management. Inspired by her mother’s work co-founding a dog shelter in southern China, Natalie is dedicated to community betterment. This personal passion and commitment resonate perfectly with NZFN’s mission of getting the food to where it’s needed most.
Sophie has many years of experience in sales and relationship management across a range of industries. Sophie joins the team with a passion to channel her experience and energies into building relationships that ensure NZFN are top of mind whenever there is any food that can be redirected to where it’s needed most.
NZFN Staff
Angela’s background is in Administration, having worked in Office Manager/PA roles for over 15 years in the UK and NZ. Working most recently as an account manager, Angela was inspired by NZFN’s end goal of helping people as well what we do for the community and the environment, knowing that this would make her role more than just a job.
Courtney joins the team as Account Manager with a focus on looking after our network of food hubs in the North Island. She has worked across a variety of roles including Account Manager in the online hotel space, Placement Coordinator in the ambulance sector and as a Project Coordinator. Courtney says she loves working with a variety of different people and being able to make a positive difference for others and is also a keen foodie.
Geoff brings more than 20 years of valuable truck driving experience to the table and was doing deliveries for NZFN before taking up the opportunity to become a permanent part of the team. He says it’s a privilege to be able to make a small contribution to those in need of assistance in these hard times.
Joseph joins our team as a Warehouse Store Person from a strong history of warehouse and distribution roles. He loves helping communities in need and his role consists of picking, packing and staging the food where needed.
Ken, NZFN Lead Hand, brings with him more than 40 years’ experience in warehousing and distribution. Having spent his career working for two family-owned pharmaceutical and cosmetics businesses, he is new to the not-for-profit sector but hopes he can make a difference through his work. He has been happily married for over 30 years, and has two great kids.
Kulwinder (Kevin) Singh Maan is our Warehouse Operator at our Christchurch DC. He brings 10 years of experience in food warehousing and logistics. He is excited to join the organisation, providing help to the families in need while tackling the issue of food waste.
Patrick joins NZFN as a Marketing & Communications Coordinator. His background is in marketing and customer service. Before joining NZFN he was working in a business development role for a socially driven NZ start-up company in the beverage industry and also has experience working for a Food delivery service in customer service and logistics. Patrick is most excited about having the opportunity to use and develop his skills to help our communities and our planet.
After spending 17 years in the insurance industry and finance sector and as well as hospitality , Vim opted for a career change.
“COVID-19 has given me a different insight about the struggles we face and I wanted to make difference in people’s lives. I now have more variety, working in the warehouse and office. It is one of the most satisfying jobs knowing that what we do here helps to put food on the table for so many families around NZ.”
Since starting with NZFN, Vim is now working on our accounts team as Finance Assistant.
