“Redistributing food good enough to eat but not good enough to sell.”
No waste, no hunger

Food Rescue
Food Rescue
The Food Rescue concept is simple; our team collect food that is good enough to eat but not good enough to sell, and redistribute to local community organisations for use. Our team sorts, repackages and tailors it to the specific needs of each organisation. Food can come from a variety of sources including markets, supermarkets, distributors, cafes and manufacturers. We also have a fruit picking team that picks fruit from orchards or local homes.
Donors benefit by saving on waste disposal costs, and are recognised for being environmentally and socially responsible, staff morale is also increased as employees see food put to good use. Food Waste, a high generator of Green House gases is diverted from landfill.
It’s good for the community and healthy for our environment.
Recipient organisations are empowered in their work by the use of food and save on their operating costs.
Why should you donate food?
- It’s a free service and you save on your waste costs. We will collect your surplus food at no cost to you.
- You will attract more customers. Our volunteers and friends are always keen to support the businesses that donate to us. Donating increases the value of your brand.
- Your customers will love that you are reducing waste and donating to community organisations at the same time.
- Donating your surplus food is good for staff morale and improves staff buy-in.
- Our growing Facebook community, an expanding volunteer base, local community leaders who support us, and increasing name recognition and visibility in Tauranga.
- Donating is EASY! It’s no different to throwing food away. Instead of throwing food into a bin, just throw it into a bag or cardboard box for us to pick up.
How do I donate food?
Please contact us to see what can be arranged. E-mail office@goodneighbour.co.nz and we will get back to you as soon as possible for a chat.
Scheduled Donors
Donors who consistently have excess food may be put on our rescue route for daily, weekly, or other regular pick-ups.
Adhoc or One-Off Donors
You may have some one-off donations to make. That’s fine as well you can drop them to us:
Good Neighbour Depot, 39B Burrows Street, Tauranga.
We are open: Monday to Friday 9am to 2:30 pm
How about Food Safety regulations?
It is safe to donate. There are no regulations preventing businesses from donating surplus food. For details, download the New Zealand Food Safety Authority Donated Food Guidance. We are committed to complying with high standards of food safety.
What food can be donated?
Food that we can receive:
- Food from regulated food providers
- Fresh produce, even with some bruising/decay
- Chopped fresh produce
- Prepared foods that are excess to requirements
- Frozen or fresh meat
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Frozen foods
- Pre-packaged foods or meals in original packaging
Food that we cannot receive:
- Any food beyond USE BY
- Any food not fit for human consumption
- Food that is not from a regulated food provider
- Home prepared food
- Food where the packaging has been damaged so that the sanitary seal has been compromised
- Oysters and other high risk seafood
- Anything containing alcohol
- Produce that is completely decayed
Who receives food?
Toi Ohomai Students
Awesome Volunteers
Huge amounts of usable food are being wasted and ending up in landfill.
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About Us
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Food Rescue
The Food Rescue concept is simple; our team collect food that is good enough to eat but not good enough to sell, and redistribute to local community organisations for use. Our team sorts, repackages and tailors it to the specific needs of each organisation. Food can come from a variety of sources including markets, supermarkets, distributors, cafes and manufacturers. We also have a fruit picking team that picks fruit from orchards or local homes.
Donors benefit by saving on waste disposal costs, and are recognised for being environmentally and socially responsible, staff morale is also increased as employees see food put to good use. Food Waste, a high generator of Green House gases is diverted from landfill.
It’s good for the community and healthy for our environment.
Recipient organisations are empowered in their work by the use of food and save on their operating costs.
Why should you donate food?
- It’s a free service and you save on your waste costs. We will collect your surplus food at no cost to you.
- You will attract more customers. Our volunteers and friends are always keen to support the businesses that donate to us. Donating increases the value of your brand.
- Your customers will love that you are reducing waste and donating to community organisations at the same time.
- Donating your surplus food is good for staff morale and improves staff buy-in.
- Our growing Facebook community, an expanding volunteer base, local community leaders who support us, and increasing name recognition and visibility in Tauranga.
- Donating is EASY! It’s no different to throwing food away. Instead of throwing food into a bin, just throw it into a bag or cardboard box for us to pick up.
How do I donate food?
Please contact us to see what can be arranged. E-mail office@goodneighbour.co.nz and we will get back to you as soon as possible for a chat.
Scheduled Donors
Donors who consistently have excess food may be put on our rescue route for daily, weekly, or other regular pick-ups.
Adhoc or One-Off Donors
You may have some one-off donations to make. That’s fine as well you can drop them to us:
Good Neighbour Depot, 39B Burrows Street, Tauranga.
We are open: Monday to Friday 9am to 2:30 pm
How about Food Safety regulations?
It is safe to donate. There are no regulations preventing businesses from donating surplus food. For details, download the New Zealand Food Safety Authority Donated Food Guidance. We are committed to complying with high standards of food safety.
What food can be donated?
Food that we can receive:
- Food from regulated food providers
- Fresh produce, even with some bruising/decay
- Chopped fresh produce
- Prepared foods that are excess to requirements
- Frozen or fresh meat
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Frozen foods
- Pre-packaged foods or meals in original packaging
Food that we cannot receive:
- Any food beyond USE BY
- Any food not fit for human consumption
- Food that is not from a regulated food provider
- Home prepared food
- Food where the packaging has been damaged so that the sanitary seal has been compromised
- Oysters and other high risk seafood
- Anything containing alcohol
- Produce that is completely decayed
Who receives food?
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News / Information
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Wedding Story
The team at Good Neighbour catered their first ever wedding using only food rescued from local supermarkets, the final menu was up in the air right until the morning of the wedding.Toi Ohomai Students
We distribute food to more than 55 amazing organisations working in our community. Here is Steve and the Toi Ohomai teamAwesome Volunteers
The food rescue team has more than 150 volunteers collecting, sorting and processing food. So many very special people that make this all happen!Huge amounts of usable food are being wasted and ending up in landfill.
A September 2013 report by WasteNot consulting for WasteMINZ Behaviour Change Sector Group identified that total food waste to landfill from residential waste is estimated at 258,886 tonnes per annum, costing $751million. -
Gallery
How much Food have we rescued?



