Donna Hulmes, social supermarket manager at Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services, and New World Kaikohe owner Joe Dodd ahead of the opening of the social supermarket in the town.
Donna Hulmes, social supermarket manager at Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services, and New World Kaikohe owner Joe Dodd ahead of the opening of the social supermarket in the town.
The Far North’s second social supermarket will open in Kaikohe next week to help address food insecurity for those struggling to make ends meet.
Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services (NISS), with support from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), has established two initiatives to address food insecurity and support taitamariki learning and development.
In June 2024, NISS began establishing a mahinga kai at its Māhuru residential facility and a social supermarket in Kaikohe. The mahinga kai produces food for whānau in need and offers taitamariki life skills training, including food production and preparation. It will also supply fresh produce to the social supermarket, which has partnered with Foodstuffs North Island.
NISS has completed infrastructure work at 25 Raihara St for the social supermarket and is set to open on April 30, Dr Moana Eruera, chief executive of NISS, said.
It will be the second supermarket of its kind in Northland after the Te Hiku Pātaka in Kaitāia opened in 2021. The Te Hiku Pātaka - run as a social supermarket - is part of the Food Hubs programme from New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), which collectively feeds more than 500,000 people every month as food security becomes a big issue for many.
The new NISS supermarket in Kaikohe has been co-designed with community stakeholders and aims to enhance mana, build capability and strengthen natural support systems. The space includes a safe and inviting area where whānau can rest, enjoy a cuppa, and engage in kōrero.
The model also recognises the complex factors contributing to financial hardship and kai insecurity and will connect whānau to capability building opportunities such as financial literacy, growing and preparing healthy kai and training pathways.
The supermarket will operate on a points system - similar to the Te Hiku Pātaka - where whānau can shop for groceries based on their family size. In partnership with Foodstuffs and New World Kaikohe, the supermarket aims to build up to supporting around 50 whānau in need each week, enhancing community health and wellbeing.
The region’s second social supermarket will open in Kaikohe next week and Donna Hulmes, social supermarket manager at Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services, and New World Kaikohe owner Joe Dodd, the partners behind the initiative, can’t wait.
The social supermarket will provide much-needed support to whānau facing economic hardship in and around the greater Kaikohe area.
It will provide greater access to food support for the community and will offer affordable kai, fresh produce, and access to wider community support, ensuring whānau experiencing food insecurity can access the essentials they need to live well and thrive. This initiative is a response to rising living costs and the growing need to strengthen Kaikohe’s support networks.
‘‘We’re very excited to be partnering with Foodstuffs to open a social supermarket for the community. It’s going to be more than just a social supermarket - it will be a place that nurtures health, economic stability, and social wellbeing for whānau. By working to integrate key services under one roof, we are laying the foundation for a stronger, more resilient community,” Eruera said.
Foodstuffs North Island, the co-operative behind the North Island’s New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square stores, partners with community organisations to open social supermarkets across the country and has seen the positive difference they make.
“These stores are about offering dignity, choice, and wraparound support to people experiencing food insecurity,” Willa Hand, head of social supermarkets for Foodstuffs North Island, said.
“Partnering with Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services means we’re able to help provide whānau in Kaikohe with a supermarket experience that supports their immediate needs while also contributing to the long-term resilience of the community.”
New World Kaikohe will be the buddy store, providing ongoing training and operational support to ensure the success of the social supermarket.
Beyond groceries, the social supermarket will provide additional resources, including a whānau space where whānau can rest, enjoy a cuppa, and engage in meaningful kōrero.
There will also be a mahinga kai - a hub for sharing and distributing locally grown produce and a kāuta, a learning space for sharing mātauranga about kai preparation and encouraging healthy eating habits.
The NISS team is also exploring opportunities for the social supermarket to support skill development, training, and employment pathways for whānau and taitamariki, further contributing to the long-term wellbeing of the community.
