We’ve developed a draft policy to guide how we support food security and resilience in our community, and we’d like your feedback.
Food security is a fundamental part of community wellbeing. It means having reliable access to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food. Food security is not only about the availability of food, it’s also about the affordability, accessibility, and opportunity to prepare and store it.
Our draft policy is a result of community organisations asking Council to improve food resilience and security in our city. Alongside the development of this policy, we have also allocated $30,000 of funding to support community initiatives.
Photo: Kylie Phillips from Te Pātaka Kai 4412 at Best Care Whakapai Hauora – this is a charitable trust working with other Manawatū partners to provide kai within the 4412 community.
Our proposed policy aims to make sure people have access to healthy food
We want to be a city where every resident has access to nutritious and affordable food. We also want to strengthen our community’s resilience against food-related challenges, such as food poverty and the impacts of climate change.
We propose that the Council commits to making a conscious and deliberate effort to contribute to a sustainable and inclusive food system that supports community wellbeing. Our draft policy recognises the need for partnership and collaboration with community initiatives; the Council will be a supporter and advocate as well as a provider and facilitator.
The proposed policy will contribute to our strategic goals
This policy contributes to Whāinga 3: He hapori tūhonohono, he hapori haumaru – Goal 3: A connected and safe community, and to the outcomes we want for our communities, including:
- access to services and facilities that are inclusive and appropriate for their needs
- the support they want to live healthy lives
- community social service groups and facilities that are well supported and invested in.
This policy also contributes to Whāinga 4: He tāone toitū, he tāone manawaroa – Goal 4: A sustainable and resilient city, and to the outcomes we want for our community, including:
- a circular economy with more resource recovery and less waste
- a healthy, thriving, ecosystem, including native biodiversity and food security
- access to relevant information and education to support more sustainable choices
- natural environment-focused community groups and facilities that are well supported and invested in.
You can find more detailed information in the draft policy.
Draft Food Security and Resilience Policy(PDF, 748KB)
Next steps
Submissions closed on Friday 8 November. Thank you to everyone who had your say.
We expect to hold hearings at Council’s Sustainability Committee on 4 December. We’ll write to all submitters and update this page once a date is confirmed.
Elected members will then meet in February 2025 to consider all submissions and make any changes. We expect to adopt the final Food Security and Resilience Policy in March 2025.