Aotearoa’s first-of-its-kind social supermarket, an initiative owned and operated by the Wellington City Mission and backed by Foodstuffs North Island, the co-operative behind New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square stores across the North Island, has turned two years old. The milestone is a testament to the ongoing success of the partnership and the positive impact the social supermarket is having in the local community.
Since its inception, the social supermarket has helped to address food insecurity in the Wellington region by being a place where shoppers are welcomed and treated with respect. Shoppers have an everyday experience with a consistent range of hundreds of different products. This gives shoppers the choice of selecting whatever they need and want for themselves and their whanau, and there is no cost.
“Most of us can’t even imagine the experience of asking someone else for food. Food is amongst the most basic of our needs, and acknowledging the inability to provide for oneself and one’s whanau must take a toll on wellbeing and self-esteem,” Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge explained.
“To provide the dignity of choice, two years ago, we partnered with Foodstuffs North Island to open New Zealand’s first of its kind Social Supermarket. We now have 25 New World stores across Wellington, helping keep us going by providing product and operational support.”
Edridge shared that this ensured that, in many ways, the shoppers were experiencing the normality that most people take for granted, of choosing for themselves. The Wellington City Missioner iterated that there was dignity in normality, with the social supermarket pleased to celebrate its second-year milestone while also being able to look forward to continuing its work with New World buddy stores to make a difference in communities.
Regarding the milestone, Foodstuffs North Island Head of Membership Excellence, Willa Hand, shared that Foodstuffs was proud of its partnership with the Wellington City Mission.
"The success of the social supermarket over the past two years. This initiative is a shining example of how our cooperative of local stores and community organisations can work together to impact the lives of those in need positively," said Hand.
Over the past two years, the partnership between the Wellington City Mission and Foodstuffs North Island has resulted in significant positive outcomes for the community. The social supermarket has enabled community members to complete over 6,000 shops, providing much-needed support to those struggling.
Wellington City Mission and Foodstuffs North Island are committed to continuing their partnership and expanding the reach of the social supermarket to help even more people in need. The success of the social supermarket model demonstrates the power of collaboration and the positive impact that can be achieved when businesses and community organisations come together to address social challenges.
Wellington City Mission’s Social Supermarket is partnered with New World Newtown, which provides ongoing support to keep the Wellington City Mission shelves fully stocked with a consistent range.
Mark Troup-Paul, Owner Operator of New World Newtown, shared that supporting the local social supermarket was a privilege.
“There’s nothing better than knowing we’re giving back to the community and helping those who can’t shop in our stores right now,” said Troup-Paul.
The social supermarket programme is part of Foodstuffs’ commitment to being ‘Here for NZ’, delivering on its four promises to support every New Zealander to access healthy and affordable food, create meaningful work for its people, support local communities to thrive and lead on sustainability in its operations and how it sources its products.
Last year, the cooperative announced plans to partner with community organisations to open many more social supermarkets across the motu.
