'The tipping point for families': High fuel prices could cause food shortage crisis

Canterbury food security advocates are worried high fuel prices could lead to a food shortage crisis.

Rising fuel costs are already pushing families to the brink, with demand growing at food banks across Canterbury.

Food rescue charity Satisfy Food Rescue fears escalating fuel costs will have a much wider impact, increasing the cost of producing and distributing food and pushing more families over the edge.

It is a concern echoed by Canterbury’s mayors.

Satisfy joined forces with the region’s food banks and the Hurunui and Waimakariri district councils at the height of Covid-19 in 2020 to form Food Secure North Canterbury.

‘‘Everything is impacted and it’s likely to have a huge bite into people’s budgets and lives,’’ Hurunui Mayor Marie Black said.

Satisfy collects food from supermarkets, businesses and gardens across the region, and redistributes it to nearly 60 community partners in Christchurch and the Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaiko ¯ura districts.

It has relied on funding from the Ministry of Social Development’s (MSD) food secure communities fund, which was established in 2020, and other community donations.

The mayors said they hoped the Government would continue to support the initiative.

‘‘They would be silly not too,’’Kaikōura Mayor Craig Mackle said.

‘‘The cost of producing food and getting it to the supermarket is going up, so it (the price of fuel) impacts on everything.’’

Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said his council is exploring how it can boost support for food security in the district.

‘‘This could include policy development, and economic development and community initiatives such as pathways for creating more community gardens and food forests.’’

A food forest was developed in the former Kaiapoi red zone after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes and has led to food forests popping up all over Canterbury.

Satisfy was established in 2015 and continues to grow, moving its operation to Rangiora in December, after 10 years in Kaiapoi.

The new Flaxton Road site has 500 square metres of floor space, more than double its previous site, Satisfy manager Stef van Meer said.

‘‘We have built the capacity to support our communities, but if that (MSD) funding doesn’t continue we will have to scale back.’’

Just last month, volunteers processed a record 50 tonnes of rescued food, compared to its average of eight to 10 tonnes a week.

But food banks are absorbing the growth.

‘‘Fuel is top mind or the tipping point for families,’’ said Tracy Pirie, manager at Rangiora’s Hope Community Trust.

‘‘But it’s more than one thing.’’

While families were often reluctant to ask for help, she said the various trusts can make a difference by linking people to support and through advocacy, such as budget advice.

But she encourages people to be honest about what help they need, rather than contacting different food banks - after all, food banks talk to each other.

While food donations are always welcomed, cash donations are needed to help with operational costs, she said.

MSD spokesperson Serena Curtis said the Government invested $15 million in food security in Budget 2025 until June 2026 due to cost-of-living pressures.

Social Development Minister Louise Upston said other support is available for struggling families.

‘‘As the Minister of Finance has said, the Government isn’t able to fully mitigate the impact on Kiwis of a conflict that is making most of the world poorer.

‘‘Attempting to do so would drive up inflation and debt and leave all New Zealanders worse off in the long run.’’ 

LDR is local body journalism cofunded by RNZ and NZ On Air.