Aotearoa New Zealand produces enough food annually to feed 40 million people – most of it exported. Yet it is estimated one in three households experience some form of hunger or food insecurity.

In general, food insecurity describes the hard financial choices some people have to make between paying for housing, energy, transport or food. It can mean families skipping meals, parents going without so children can eat, and children whose only meal might be a school-provided lunch.

The problem has been exacerbated by soaring food prices caused by global disruption of supply chains and rising fuel costs. Climate change and extreme weather events can exacerbate the problem.

Meanwhile, household incomes have stagnated relative to inflation. The availability and consumption of ultra-processed foods grows, and with it the impact of diet-related disease.

While these problems are often reported and analysed individually, cumulatively they contribute to a bigger picture of food security that deserves greater scrutiny.

In 2023, the Public Health Advisory Committee was tasked by the then Labour-led government to investigate the national food system. The committee’s Rebalancing Our Food System report put forward five key recommendations:

develop a unified food system for all New Zealanders

develop a unified food system for all New Zealanders

ensure local parts of the food system meet the needs and aspirations of those communities

ensure local parts of the food system meet the needs and aspirations of those communities

central and local governments use legislation, policy and regulation levers to create and foster healthy food environments for all New Zealanders

central and local governments use legislation, policy and........

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