Community-Led Food Resilience in Action
Across West Auckland, food relief organisations are on the frontline, supporting whānau, redistributing surplus food and responding to growing climate and cost-of-living pressures. The Full Circle Kai Pantry Workshops, coordinated in partnership with Kai West, Rōpū Awhina Kai o te Uru, and supported by Auckland Council, were created to strengthen that frontline response. Kai West has worked alongside key partners delivering council-funded programmes such as Different Dinners, Love Food Hate Waste and Pressure Canning workshops, helping to build a strong foundation for this initiative.
Using a train-the-trainer model, the workshop series equipped representatives from food banks, community kitchens and kai initiatives with practical skills in food preservation, low-waste cooking and resource sharing. From pressure canning and fermenting to plant-based cooking and understanding what makes a balanced food parcel, participants gained hands-on experience designed to be shared back within their own organisations. A strong focus was placed on plant-based eating, encouraging organisations to support whānau to experiment with simple, affordable and tasty recipes using ingredients like chickpeas, beans and lentils, helping reduce food costs while supporting more climate-friendly practices.
Workshop facilitators shared practical resources and tips on the many ways to avoid food waste and stretch everyday meals, supporting organisations to pass this knowledge on in ways that are accessible and relevant to their communities. Alongside this, there is a growing focus on building organisational capability to better respond to diverse cultural dietary requirements and expectations, ensuring food support is both appropriate and mana-enhancing.
At the heart of the programme is a focus on building capability within food relief organisations, equipping them with the skills, knowledge and shared resources to move beyond business as usual. By strengthening their ability to preserve and make the most of surplus food, these organisations can create more meaningful opportunities to support whānau in ways that are practical, empowering and increasingly self-sustaining.
Kai West Collaborations Broker, Michele Eickstaedt, complements:
“This initiative responds to a strong desire from Rōpū Awhina Kai o te Uru to grow their capacity to deliver workshops that support whānau to adopt self-sustaining practices, including preserving seasonal abundance, stretching meals, preventing waste and finding creative ways to prepare healthy, nourishing kai.”
Alongside the training, the initiative established a shared Kai Preservation Tool Library, coordinated by Kai West. This allows organisations, who attended the train the trainer workshops, to access specialised equipment, such as pressure canners, without duplicating funding or resources. By sharing tools and knowledge, the network strengthens collective capability while modelling a practical circular food system.
Participants who attended the workshops, reflected on their experience:
“The workshops gave me practical skills I could immediately weave into the Love Food Hate Waste sessions I run. I especially valued the pressure canning training, it felt like reconnecting with our whakapapa and our tīpuna. The shared tool library truly reflects what this work is about: sharing resources, sharing kai and strengthening community.” Wei Pudney
“These workshops opened my eyes to how simple it can be to reduce food waste and still make delicious kai. I learned new ways to use up bread, our most wasted food, and how canned lentils and chickpeas can become quick, tasty meals. I was amazed to discover you can even use chickpea brine instead of egg white — we turned it into a beautiful chocolate mousse, and used stale bread to make a pudding my whānau absolutely loved. I’m excited to take these skills back to my community and will be encouraging everyone to come along to the next workshop. I’d love to see this happen closer to us in the Whau so more of our people can join in and benefit.” Wahine Tupou
By building preservation skills and strengthening collaboration across West Auckland kai organisations, the Full Circle Kai Pantry Workshops are helping move food higher up the waste hierarchy, from potential landfill to long-lasting nourishment. This includes practical ways to stretch ingredients further, such as incorporating affordable plant-based proteins like beans, lentils and chickpeas into everyday meals, reducing food costs while supporting more climate-friendly choices.
More than a training series, the project is growing local champions and increasing preparedness for future disruptions, while equipping organisations to share simple, adaptable recipes and approaches that help whānau reduce waste, eat well, and make the most of what they have.
Organisations interested in future workshops or accessing the Kai Preservation Tool Library are encouraged to connect with Kai West and be part of this growing movement toward a circular, resilient local food system.