Nourished for Nil and Foodstuffs North Island are expanding their successful social supermarket initiative with the opening of a second store in Hawke’s Bay.
Set to open on Monday, 14 April, the new social supermarket at 506 Queen Street West, Hastings, will provide greater access to food support for the community.
The launch comes 18 months after the organisations partnered to open the region’s first social supermarket in Napier, a collaboration that has provided dignified food support to many local families.
With New World Hastings stepping in as the buddy store, the new location will transform an empty site with offices and rooms into a welcoming, fully stocked social supermarket. The existing food bank service will continue to operate alongside the new offering.
Nourished for Nil founder Christina McBeth says expanding into Hastings was part of the vision.
“Our plan has always been to open in Hastings as we believe the need is there. A lot of people using our Napier social supermarket come from Hastings, but others think that because the service is in Napier, it’s not for them or they can’t afford the travel costs to get there. This new store will be just 100 metres from our distribution centre, where we run our entire operation so it’s going to be great to expand our base too,” said Ms McBeth.
Nourished for Nil chose to name the Hastings Social Supermarket “Whare Whāngai” which means a place of nurturing and nourishment. The name has been gifted by Sir Timoti Karetu, KNZM QSO CRSNZ, a leading New Zealand academic of the Māori language.
Nourished for Nil is the largest food rescue and food support organisation in the region, and this expansion is expected to increase its impact significantly. Operating two social supermarkets close together will create efficiencies in service delivery, ensuring more families have access to affordable, high-quality groceries.
Foodstuffs North Island, the co-operative behind the North Island’s New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square stores, partners with community organisations to open social supermarkets across the country and has seen the positive difference these stores make.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Nourished for Nil again to open a second social supermarket in Hawke’s Bay. These stores are about offering dignity, choice, and wraparound support to people experiencing food insecurity. The Napier store has had a great impact, and we know this new Hastings location will do the same,” says Willa Hand, Head of Social Supermarket for Foodstuffs North Island.
The Hastings social supermarket will operate under the same model as other social supermarkets, allowing agency referred individuals and families facing food insecurity to shop for groceries in a supermarket-style environment while paying only what they can afford.