Over 1.1 Million Meals Delivered Amid Soaring Living Costs – Meet The Need Launches Inaugural Impact Report
Powered by donations from New Zealand farmers and agribusinesses, Meet the Need continues to grow in reach and scale — delivering over 2.9 million meals since its inception in 2020 and supporting more than 130 foodbanks and community organisations every month.
'Each meal we deliver is a message: 'You are not forgotten,'' said Zellara Holden, General Manager of Meet the Need. 'We're incredibly proud of the impact we've made together, connecting the food grown on our farms directly to whānau who need it most.'
Key Impact Stats from the 2025 Report:
655,684 mince meals delivered
539,952 milk meals shared
1,195,636 total servings delivered in the last 12 months
130+ foodbanks and community groups supported monthly
659 unique donors in the last year, 2,047 total to date
2.9 million meals delivered since 2020
Real stories behind the numbers:
'Your delicious meals were like a hug every day… the sense of being supported and not alone meant so much,' shared one Wanaka recipient.
One foodbank client wrote: 'I hadn't bought meat for 8 months. When I saw mince in the freezer, I cried.'
And from 10-year-old Brodie Smith in Taranaki: 'Instead of Christmas gifts, I asked my parents to donate to Meet the Need.'
Board Chair Nick Fisher says the organisation's mission is more urgent than ever: 'One in five children in Aotearoa experience food insecurity. Meet the Need is about everyday Kiwis helping one another in the most tangible way — with quality food. Our focus now is to not just sustain our impact — but scale it.'
The report also highlights partner initiatives, including Pack and Give Back events with the Salvation Army, social campaigns like Beef Up Your Summer with Silver Fern Farms, and the Dairy Women's Network series of Long Lunches. New partnerships with Hazlett, Fresh Pork NZ and Green Meadows Beef.
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