Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Community Fridge in City College grounds to launch later this year

Whanganui Chronicle
2 Jul, 2021 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
The Whanganui Community Fridge will be set up in the Whanganui City College grounds where students have already established a community garden. Photo / Bevan Conley

The Whanganui Community Fridge will be set up in the Whanganui City College grounds where students have already established a community garden. Photo / Bevan Conley

A community fridge will be set up in the Whanganui City College grounds, with the aim of providing food for people in need and reducing food waste.

A community fridge is a place where people and businesses can donate their surplus food and those in need can help themselves to free nutritious food.

The Whanganui Community Fridge project is being co-ordinated by Whanganui Regional Health Network (WRHN), based on similar projects in Auckland and Christchurch.

WRHN project lead Karen Veldhoen said they had been planning the project for more than two years, with challenges of location, funding, Covid-19 impacts and resource access.

It had been endorsed by the Whanganui District Council and Covid-19 Integrated Recovery Team, she said. The formation of the Whanganui Kai Collective had also enabled collaboration with like-minded people.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In the past year the project has received funding from Ministry of Social Development, Lottery Grants Board, Rotary Club of Wanganui North, Whanganui Community Charitable Trust and GOME Enterprises, and two large refrigerators are being donated by Fisher & Paykel.

"WCC grounds is an ideal central location for the community fridge and the students are excited to be part of this project," Veldhoen said.

"With their community garden already under way and an opportunity to pass on any left-over lunches from the healthy school lunches programme, the fridge will enable food redistribution and help prevent waste."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Students and volunteers will maintain the Community Fridge. It is hoped to keep it open seven days a week, but it will be closed overnight.

Principal Peter Kaua and vice principal Valerie Rooderkerk supported the proposal from the outset.

"We have always had a community focus and encourage our whānau to come into the school whenever they need to," Kaua said.

"Having the community fridge on site makes so much sense. Our students will benefit as much as the community."

Discover more

Whanganui facing future GP shortage

02 Apr 04:00 PM

'Success story': School lunches with minimum waste

20 May 05:00 PM

Feasible feast the next step towards Whanganui kai hub

08 Jun 05:00 PM

RDA welcomes a leg up from Wanganui Road Rodders

30 Jun 05:00 PM

Veldhoen said anyone - food retailers, community organisations and the public - could contribute to the fridge, while following food safety guidelines.

"I hear stories in my own neighbourhood of vegetables and fruit being thrown out due to excess, so just imagine how much gets wasted regionally," Veldhoen said.

"This will be a great opportunity to contribute to your community and support the environment.

"We are currently pulling the resources together and plan to be operational in the next couple of months."

A new survey by Rabobank-Kiwi Harvest Food Waste Research states New Zealanders are throwing out $2.4 billion worth of food a year. Two-thirds of the total wastage is fruit and vegetables, bread makes up more than a quarter (about 20 million loaves) and meat about 6 per cent.

• People who want to be involved in the daily fridge maintenance can register their interest with the Whanganui Volunteer Centre on (06) 347 9430. More information on the project is available from Karen Veldhoen on (06) 348 0109 extn 708. A Whanganui Community Fridge Facebook page has also been set up.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

'Just about perfection': Top dog scores 99.5 at Tux Yarding Challenge

Whanganui Chronicle

'Let's be brave': Rangitīkei to apply for plan stop exemption

Whanganui Chronicle

Council candidate wants to be 'leader in the community'


Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

'Just about perfection': Top dog scores 99.5 at Tux Yarding Challenge
Whanganui Chronicle

'Just about perfection': Top dog scores 99.5 at Tux Yarding Challenge

Waikato's Leo Jacentho and Zap scored top marks in the Tux Yarding Challenge at Ōhingaiti.

02 Sep 11:44 PM
'Let's be brave': Rangitīkei to apply for plan stop exemption
Whanganui Chronicle

'Let's be brave': Rangitīkei to apply for plan stop exemption

02 Sep 06:30 PM
Council candidate wants to be 'leader in the community'
Whanganui Chronicle

Council candidate wants to be 'leader in the community'

02 Sep 05:00 PM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP