In March, Deborah Manning, founder of KiwiHarvest, was honoured as the Sustainability Leader of the Year at the 2025 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards—a recognition that underscores the growing importance of food rescue in New Zealand’s sustainable future.
The Environmental Cost of Food Waste
Food waste is not just a social issue; it’s also a major environmental threat. Globally, 30 percent of food produced ends up in landfills, amounting to a staggering 1.3 billion tonnes of wasted fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, seafood, and grains.
Once discarded, food decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen), releasing methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. In fact, food waste contributes to over 8 percent of global carbon emissions—four times the emissions of the entire aviation industry.
KiwiHarvest: Turning Waste into Impact
KiwiHarvest is committed to tackling this crisis by rescuing and redistributing food to communities in need. Every month, the organisation rescues around 250,000 kilograms of high-quality food, preventing it from entering landfills while helping those struggling to put meals on the table.
The impact of their work is undeniable. Since its founding in 2012, KiwiHarvest has:
- Rescued and delivered NZD 100 million worth of food
- Prevented the release of over 40 million kilograms of CO₂-equivalent emissions
Despite these incredible milestones, there is still much to be done. New Zealand wastes 103,000 tonnes of food annually within the supply chain (excluding household food waste), with 65 percent of it perfectly edible. Even with food rescue efforts, an estimated 50,000 tonnes of quality food still goes uneaten each year.
Read the full story in the latest issue here
