Food rescue and support charity, the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), has expanded its South Island operations with a new distribution centre in Hornby, Christchurch, with the support of local logistics business Waireka Group.
The new facility offers NZFN’s South Island team 70 per cent more storage space, transforming how food is received, sorted, stored and delivered across the region.
The partnership with Waireka Group provides NZFN with at least 120 pallet spaces, an upgraded staging area for packing, receipting and sorting by warehouse staff and volunteer groups, and a dedicated 6×5 metre chiller with room for 24 pallets, now easily accessed by forklift inside the warehouse. Outside, a 20-foot freezer container can store an additional 10 pallets.
This boost will allow NZFN to serve its network of 15 hubs across the South Island, which support more than 400 local charities and community groups working to reduce food insecurity.
“Since launching our South Island operations in 2021 with just 70 pallet spaces, demand has continued to grow,” said Nicki Crosbie, NZFN’s South Island operations manager.
Waireka Group, which recently centralised its operations at the new warehouse from 1 May, now operates from a facility with 5,000 pallet spaces, with a large portion allocated to NZFN.
“We’re a Canterbury-based, family-owned company, and we’re really proud of that,” said Charles Wood of Waireka Group.
“Although we have links to the North Island, we’ve always been passionate about backing other local organisations doing good in the region.”
“Transport, warehousing and logistics are our specialty, so when we learned that NZFN’s services need to reach throughout the entire country, partnering felt like a natural fit. We hope that this additional capacity will help NZFN grow their network and combat food insecurity throughout the region,” added Wood.