Conservation Comment: A Kai Rescue Hub for Whanganui?

When the Ashburton River bridge was damaged, what did we think? Photo / File

Comment: By Graham Pearson

What came to mind when you heard of State Highway 1 being closed due to the Ashburton bridge issues?

Traffic diversions, delays for holidaymakers, problems for folks living south of the bridge who work in Ashburton?

Surprisingly, some media stories focused on a lack of toilet paper in supermarkets and a Southland café/restaurant that would be short of milk! I would have thought that households would have plenty of non-shiny paper they could use for a few days, and surely there are winter milk producers south of Ashburton?

Was it actually the lack of local production and distribution that was being highlighted? Our consumer society has centralisation, long distribution chains and just in time deliveries, which can quickly fail when there is a break in the chain.

Thankfully following the major flooding that isolated Whanganui in 2004 the River Traders Market was set up, this provides our local food producers with a consistent, regular, and reliable local outlet for their produce. This even worked through Covid lockdown when Eileen switched to a home delivery service for her fresh vegetables and Sour Bros for their bread.

Locally we also have groups, including City Mission, food bank, Salvation Army and the Koha Shed who distribute donated food to those in need. Can we enhance these local food distributors and make our town more resilient?

Whanganui Kai Collective, a collaborative group of people, are working on community-based initiatives that focus on a localised and sustainable Whanganui kai system, rooted in Whanganuitanga, and supported by diverse community partnerships that support and thus enhance existing distribution networks.

The possibility of a Kai Hub has emerged from Kai Collective discussions to tackle food waste, assist the current groups working to distribute "spare" food and also prepare and share nourishing "rescued kai" meals. The hub could also provide a space for projects and activities that can be community lead.

Funding from WDC's Waste Levy Fund has financed a first step, a feasibility study to determine if and how a Kai Hub could be set up in Whanganui.

Joe Thompson and Julie Crocker have spent 10 weeks asking questions, listening to locals with knowledge to share, sourcing New Zealand wide information and checking out possible local sites for such a Kai Hub.

All this accumulated knowledge and ideas, combined with Joe and Julie's previous experiences in Kai Rescue, will be shared at the Feasibility Study Feast on Saturday, June 26, which is being hosted by the Harrison Street Community Church group.

You are invited to come along, bring your mates, your kids and your whānau for a feast of kai with korero! The afternoon starts with shared kai and the exchanging of ideas from 3pm onwards. Joe and Julie will present the results and ideas from their study into the possibilities for a Kai Rescue Hub in Whanganui from 5pm onwards.

- Graham Pearson is a Sustainable Whanganui Trust member and contributes to the Kai Collective.