Aotearoa’s national food rescue and largest food support charity, the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), has expanded its South Island operations with a new distribution centre in Hornby, Christchurch thanks to the generosity of local logistics business, Waireka Group.
Moving from the premises in Rolleston, the new space from Waireka Group offers NZFN’s South Island team 70% more storage space than their previous facility, transforming how food is received, sorted, stored and delivered to Kiwis across the region.
The partnership provides NZFN with a minimum of 120 pallet spaces, an upgraded staging area for packing, receipting and sorting by warehouse staff and volunteer groups, and a dedicated 6x5 metre chiller with capacity for 24 pallets, now easily accessed by forklift inside the warehouse. Outside, there is space for a 20-foot freezer container to store an additional 10 pallets.
Waireka Group has provided discounted rates for pallets, transport, office space and shared use of Waireka Group’s staff facilities.This significant boost will allow NZFN to more efficiently serve its network of 15 hubs across the South Island, which in turn support more than 400 local charities and community groups working to reduce food insecurity on the frontlines.
Nicki Crosbie, NZFN’s South Island Operations Manager, says, “Since launching our South Island operations in 2021 with just 70 pallet spaces, demand has continued to grow. This new facility gives us the room we need to support our expanding network and make sure good, nutritious food reaches whānau who need it most.”
“Roddy Wood, Ronnie Moore, and the team from Waireka Group have been instrumental in making this happen. They’ve shown how powerful it can be when local organisations come together for a shared purpose, and we’d love to see more to follow their lead. Their support has been extraordinary and we’re incredibly grateful,” says Crosbie.
Waireka Group, who recently centralised their operations at the new warehouse site from 1 May, now operate from a facility with a total of 5,000 pallet spaces. Of these they have allocated significant capacity to NZFN.
Charles “Roddy” Wood of Waireka Group says supporting NZFN was a natural choice.
“We’re a Canterbury-based, family-owned company, and we’re really proud of that. Although we have links to the North Island, we’ve always been passionate about backing other local organisations doing good in the region.”
“Transport, warehousing and logistics are our specialty, so when we learned that NZFN’s services need to reach throughout the entire country, partnering felt like a natural fit. We hope that this additional capacity will help NZFN grow their network and combat food insecurity throughout the region,” adds Wood.