The Salvation Army's food security manager Sonya Cameron. Photo: SUPPLIED/The Salvation Army
Kai from our paddocks and orchards feed millions around the world, but the Salvation Army says hungry kids here at home should be the first priority.
A new report by the charity Te Ope Whakaora showed the number of households running out of food or eating less was rising, in the face of rising food prices and workers' wages not keeping up.
Last year, it found food insecurity affected one in four homes with children in Aotearoa, with Pasifika and Māori tamariki impacted at higher rates than European or Asian children.
Food security was defined by the United Nations as people having access to safe and nutritious food towards a healthy life.
The Salvation Army's report co-author and food security manager, Sonya Cameron, said food insecurity for children was at its highest level in a decade.
"We've currently got 27 percent of children who are food insecure, including one in three tamariki Maori and one in two Pacific children," she said.
"It's the highest rate of food insecurity in 10 years, and also it's a doubling in two years."
Cameron said while New Zealand exported enough kai to feed 40 million people - a number previously quoted by Finance Minister Nicola Willis - but children at home were going hungry, largely due to the rising costs.
"The cost of healthy foods is increasing at much faster rate than the cost of unhealthy food," Cameron said.
"But what's actually really shocking is that the foods that have risen the fastest in price are actually the foods that we produce here, so it's the meat, it's the dairy, fruit and the vege.
"And there's also been a 20 percent drop in the number of New Zealand households over the last five to 10 years that are actually purchasing these foods."
General Manager of the Game Animal Council Tim Gale with Vikki Stevenson and Paul Smith from the Salvation Army Southern Division. Photo:
Stats NZ data showed food prices had increased 5 percent in the year to August, even more so for fruit and vegetables up nearly 9 percent and meat, poultry and fish up just over 8 percent.
In light of spiking demand for its food bank service, Cameron said meat, dairy and fresh produce were the items whānau needed most.
"What they're asking for the most are the meat, the dairy, the fruit and vege.
"We just really worry about what that means for the health and wellbeing of our nation. It just seems so crazy given that these are the foods that we actually produce ourselves."
Cameron hit out at the government's persistent drive to double the value of exports off 2024 levels by lead agency the Ministry for Primary Industries.
"[MPI says] they're the lead agency for the food and fibre sector with a goal of doubling exports in a decade.
"Yet there's no mention whatsoever about the priorities for feeding New Zealanders or supporting our domestic food production. And we just think that's crazy when we've got 27 percent of children in this country, who are food insecure."
Minister for Agriculture, Trade and Investment, Todd McClay. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
However, Minister for Agriculture, Trade and Investment, Todd McClay, who spearheaded the drive, said it was about lifting incomes, creating jobs and strengthening the economy to benefit all New Zealanders.
"It is only through a strong export driven economy that New Zealand can do both - support families at home and grow our earnings abroad," McClay said.
"New Zealand's primary exports generate nearly $60 billion in export revenue per year, that's roughly $11,000 per every New Zealander."
The report also recommended transforming the Grocery Commissioner into a Food Commissioner to help local food economies to thrive.
It called for a national food strategy that upheld Te Tiriti o Waitangi and prioritised health and wellbeing ahead of economic growth.
Also lifting wages, empowering councils to regulate local food environments, scale up community grocers and support food rescue and food banks.
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