In December we shared the results of our baseline research on food in the Waikato region - Want Amongst Plenty. This report brought together, for the first time, a series of indicators regarding food security and insecurity in the Waikato region.
The second in our series of research reports on Kai have now been completed. A foodshed analysis measures how much food the Waikato region produces, and how much food the people of the Waikato need for a good, healthy diet. The report was commissioned as part of our baseline research to address a significant unanswered question- “how much food do we produce, and how much do we need?”
The baseline foodshed analysis for the Waikato Region is based on a methodology developed in the Otago Food Economy Report (Millar et al., 2016). In essence the methodology estimates the amount of a variety of food types consumed in a given area, the food types produced in that area and compares the two using a mass balance. The baseline foodshed analysis for the Waikato Region uses 2024 data from AgriBase® (a product of AssureQuality Limited) and is informed by current, industry-specific publications. The latter enables assumptions to be made to calculate the amount of food produced in the region that may be exported overseas. The figure below illustrates the agricultural and uses across the Waikato region, based on the Agribase data. Key outtakes from the research are shown in the infographic below.
A copy of the full report can be viewed here and an open invitation webinar will be held on 20 March to further discuss and explore the results of this research. Dr Nikki Bould from Whirika will share the results of the foodshed analysis, and we will also hear from food security and sovereignty experts from other part of the new Zealand about their efforts to reduce hunger and food deprivation.
To register for the event, click here
Lived Experience Research
In December also announced a partnership with MAS Foundation to support the third tranche of our kai research programme- to understand the lived experience of kai on communities, whanau and for those involved in kai production and distribution.
The lived experience project will deepen our understanding of food security, insecurity and sovereignty by exploring the lived experience of people, whanau and communities in the Waikato with food. Importantly, it will also help reveal what innovations and solutions there might be to address food insecurity, reflecting some of the insights and recommendations from the first report.
We have partnered with ThinkPlace to undertake this work, in partnership with local food networks and agencies and will be completed by mid-2025. We are currently exploring opportunities to work with communities, iwi and whanau to localise this work. For more information, contact Hera Denton at hera@envirocentre.org.nz.
