Ōtūmoetai Social Supermarket empowers its community

A social supermarket in Tauranga is proving to be a popular resource for the community.

SunLive met with Otūmoetai Social Supermarket co-founders John and Jackie Paine in a garden on a sunny Thursday to share valuable lessons with the community.

“We’re always focusing on trying to solve the problem,” John Paine said.

“So we are trying to teach people to grow their food.”

The social supermarket opened its doors two years ago, he said, hoping to be the service that stopped people from going over the cliffs and plummeting onto the rocks of poverty.

The Paines didn’t know exactly what the community needed when they opened.

However, by actively listening and analysing demographics, they identified key needs and took action to address them.

Co-founder John Paine says the role of the social supermarket is to be a provider at the top of the cliff. Photo / Tom Eley

“The Tauranga City Council did a survey, and 30% to 40% of people have no savings,” he said.

“So whenever something happens, people have no backup.”

Since opening its doors in November 2022, the supermarket has helped hundreds of families and provided relief for families looking for a hand up, Jackie Paine said.

“Our number one best seller is fresh produce because we can do it at an excellent price. And you can take a whole bag for a point,” she said.

The points system at Otūmoetai Social Supermarket. Photo / Tom Eley

The supermarket is near nine schools and 24 early childhood centres and it collaborated with education providers to understand family needs in the area.

Due to her educational background, Paine knew what could happen if families did not get the support they needed.

“They just need a little bit of hand to get over a hump and keep going.”

Jackie Paine’s ultimate goal was for the supermarket to put itself out of business by “actually solving a problem, not just meeting a need”.

A big part of social supermarket’s work was connecting struggling families with financial mentoring to teach them to save what they could, she said.

“Because even if you’re saving $5 a week, you’re going to get to a place where hopefully you won’t need us again.

“That’s our real aim.”

She said the shop was open Monday to Friday and was full most days, but they wanted to try to reduce the number of people accessing the service.

“We’ve budgeted for 50 shoppers a week over that. We need to bring that back.”

The shop resembles a Four Square with dedicated aisles set up for shoppers. Everything carries a price and no food is given away.

“It’s more dignified for the customers,” she said.

The Paines are also supported by co-founder Lavina Good, who saw a need for a social supermarket in Tauranga and helped establish it.

“We found a low-cost model, which people could shop with dignity and shop with pride,” Good said.