15 June 2026

The people of Nelson have donated just over $2,000 to Nelson Environment Centre Kai Rescue in a week-long ‘round up’ at the five Woolworths stores across the region. Together with a $5,000 donation from Woolworths that’s more than $7,000 raised in total.

Last week customers at Woolworths Nelson, Trafalgar Park, Nelson Junction, Stoke and Richmond were able to ‘round up’ at the checkout to raise funds for Nelson Environment Centre (NEC) Kai Rescue, which collects safe surplus food from all five Woolworths stores and distributes it to those in need.

“It’s a really generous response from the community and we are very happy. The support from Woolworths and its store teams here in Nelson has been incredible. Food rescue is really essential in the food system in this country. If we didn’t have it then I think we’d be in a lot of trouble,” said Andrew White, Chief Executive of NEC.

In late May NEC launched an appeal, seeking to raise $40,000 to avoid closure.

“We succeeded with our target to stave off our cashflow crisis inside a week and we’ve now well and truly exceeded it. As well as around 130 one off donations, it's been great to see some donors pledging future donations for Kai Rescue. We are a lot more confident that Kai Rescue has a sustainable future and that there's potential to invest in increasing its impact in the coming years. That tells me that people actually care about food rescue and they will support it if they know it needs their support, so to the people of Nelson we just want to say thank you very much,” said Andrew White.

Woolworths’ donation to NEC Kai Rescue is on top of the $35,000 already donated during Woolworths’ 2026 financial year, part of more than $1 million in food rescue grants to about 30 food rescue organisations across the country.

“Food rescue is deeply important to Woolworths. It’s work that takes many hands in communities all over Aotearoa and NEC Kai Rescue does a fantastic job getting our surplus food where it needs to go - to people, not to the landfill,” said Kate Eastoe, GM Communications and Sustainability for Woolworths New Zealand.

Over the past 12 months, the five Woolworths stores in the region have donated more than 140 tonnes of safe, surplus food to NEC Kai Rescue, or the equivalent of around 280,000 meals.

“We really value our relationship with NEC and so do the people of Nelson, as shown by the amazing success of NEC’s fundraising campaign,” said Kate Eastoe.

Woolworths and food rescue

In the 2025 financial year Woolworths donated well over 4,000 tonnes of safe surplus food, equivalent to more than eight million meals.

Every Woolworths store has at least one food rescue partner and the Nelson Environment Centre is one of about 30 food rescue partners across Aotearoa which receive cash operating grants from Woolworths’ food rescue fund. During FY2026 these grants will total more than $1m, plus nearly $150,000 in customer donations from a national ‘round up’ for food rescue.

Woolworths Group is strongly committed to food rescue. Woolworths Group’s

2030 Sustainability Plan commits to repurposing more than 90% of our Group’s food surplus and increasing the number of meals donated.