Volunteer
Mahi aroha at Kaibosh
Volunteers are at the heart of our work, helping us to reduce food waste and move good kai to people in our communities.
Thank you for your interest in getting involved with volunteering at Kaibosh. In just a couple of hours a week you can make difference for your community.
Over 300 dedicated volunteers help Kaibosh at our three sites in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), Te Awa Kairangi (Hutt Valley), Kāpiti-Horowhenua, and within our Second Harvest programme with farms around our region. Our service for the community couldn’t work without volunteers, and we’re grateful to have so many wonderful people involved!
Volunteer vacancies
Most volunteer opportunities at Kaibosh sites are weekdays during our working hours 9am-3pm. In Te Whanganui a Tara we also have weekend volunteer opportunities. Our Second Harvest programme includes daytime and afternoon/evening activities depending on the season.
Volunteering roles at our Kaibosh sites: warehouse operations support; food rescue driver support; market rescue support; kitchen support; food sorting; second harvest produce sorting; cleaning support. Within our Second Harvest programme volunteering opportunities include: harvesting, pruning or thinning. Role descriptions, locations and approximate timings below.
Volunteering at Kaibosh sites is rostered once a week or once every fortnight. Second Harvest volunteering is seasonal.
If we don’t have a suitable site vacancy, you might like to consider joining our backup/cover team who support us on an ad-hoc basis.
Bring your energy and help us keep good food moving!
- Kaibosh warehouse sites require a good level of fitness, standing for several hours and lifting boxes of up to 15kg.
- Second Harvest volunteering involves bending a lot, heavy lifting of up to 20kg and working on uneven ground at farm sites.
How to apply
We work with you to find a volunteer vacancy and role matching your interests and availability.
If we don’t have a suitable vacancy, you might like to consider joining our backup/cover team.
Apply via Volaby
Apply to volunteer at Kaibosh through Volaby, which has a 2-step registration process. Once you are logged in you will see the current volunteer role vacancies.
Our Volunteer Managers will be in touch with you to find a role that matches your interest and availability.
Volunteer applications are reviewed and responded to within 2-3 weeks. Thank you for your patience.
Contact our Volunteer Programme team on these team-specific email addresses:
Kaibosh Hutt Valley – Te Awa Kairangai
Kaibosh Wellington City – Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Kaibosh Kāpiti & Horowhenua
Kaibosh Second Harvest
Onboarding at Kaibosh
Following our on-boarding and health and safety induction, all volunteers are expected to be able to support our mahi unsupervised and work collaboratively with staff and volunteers in small to medium-sized teams.
We work with you to find a volunteer vacancy and role matching your interests and availability. If we don’t have a suitable vacancy, you might like to consider joining our backup/cover team.
Find out more about what to expect volunteering at Kaibosh in this short video.
Volunteer roles
Note, all roles with Kaibosh require a good level of base fitness as standing for several hours and lifting 15kg is often required. We provide training and guidance for safe lifting.
Second Harvest - farm based locations
Approx. 2-4 hours, weekdays, evenings or weekends. Timings and activities vary depending on season and access.
Harvest locations in Kāpiti-Horowhenua region with some actvities in Upper Hutt. Some shifts meet in Paraparaumu first before heading out.
Working alongside and trained by a Kaibosh staff member, you have the option to be involved in harvesting, pruning, or thinning of crops. Activities vary by season and crops available and take place on working farms.
A good level of physical fitness is required and being able to follow health and safety instructions on site and work within a busy team. These roles often involve heavy lifting of 15-20kg and bending down regularly.
Due to unique hazards of the Second Harvest activities these roles don’t suit everyone. Alternative options may be possible if we can’t offer you a farm-based role.
Please note, due to harvest needs and weather changes, activities become available or are cancelled at short notice.
Food Rescue Driver Support
Approx. 3 hours, weekday mornings
Weekend shifts available in Pōneke/Wellington.
Working alongside our Kaibosh driver, this is a shift for those who like to lift. Meet our Kaibosh driver at our site base, help load the van with empty crates, and be the helpful passenger traveling in our Kaibosh van to rescue food/kai from food donors around the area.
Then travel back to base to help unload the crates full of kai, ready for the food sort team.
This role requires a good level of fitness and regular lifting of boxes weighing up to 15kg.
Food Sorting
Approx. 2 hours, weekday lunchtimes/early afternoons
Weekend shifts available in Pōneke/Wellington on Saturday and Sunday 4/4.30-6/6.30pm.
As part of a medium to large food sort team, you’ll quality check our rescued kai/food sorting it into boxes for our community partners to pick up.
This is a team collaborative shift, with every volunteer’s input helping us to do the mahi/work. From sorting good quality produce from mouldy and other non-edible produce (packed into boxes), to allocating and recording boxes’ weights in our computer system, to the ever-important end of shift cleaning tasks.
Everyone pitches in and the team vibes and laughs help the mahi/work happen.
Second Harvest Sorting - Kāpiti
Approx. 2 hours, currently Thursdays at Kāpiti branch only
As part of a small team of 2-3, quality check and pack produce donated from local growers and farms into boxes for distribution across our three sites.
This fresh kai is then distributed to our community partners. Produce arrives to Kāpiti site in bulk, varies by season and includes potatoes and onions.
Operation Support
Approx. 2 hours, weekday mornings
Working alongside a Kaibosh staff member to support them with a variety of tasks onsite, including meeting and greeting our charity partners arriving to collect kai for their community, loading boxes of food into vehicles, cleaning the site and other ad-hoc warehouse tasks.
This role requires a good level of physical fitness and regular lifting of boxes weighing upto 15kg.
Market Rescue Support – Wellington only
Approx. 1-2 hours, Saturdays and Sundays
Working alongside our Kaibosh driver, this is a shift for those who like to lift. Meet our Kaibosh driver at our Hopper Street base or at the weekend market in Wellington. Support our Kaibosh driver to rescue food/kai from market stall holders as they finish for the day.
This is a relatively fast-paced and dynamic shift, and requires a good level of fitness and regular lifting of boxes weighting up to 15kg.
Kitchen Support
Approx. 2-3 hours, weekday mornings at Hutt and Kāpiti sites only
Help to prep, cook and bake kai from rescued food, that is good enough to cook but may not last long in food boxes/parcels for our community partners.
Working in teams of 3-4, prepping and chopping vegetables and fruit, following guidance from our team or using your own creativity and ideas.
Together, we create nourishing kai and meal bases for our community partners who are supporting individuals and whānau.
Sparkle Squad
Approx. 1 hour, weekday early afternoons
On your own or in a team of 2, working around the end of the Kaibosh Food Sorting shift team as they finish up, bring your eye for detail and energy, to make our warehouse sparkle and shine so it’s clean, safe and ready for the next day at Kaibosh.
This role involves:
- Sweeping and mopping floors and behind bins
- Cleaning surfaces and sinks
- Cleaning food crates
- Other ad hoc cleaning tasks as required
- From time to time, may involve some food sorting, allocating and weighing food if the regular food sorting team need extra support.
Group volunteering
We are developing this part of our volunteer programme in our region and will launch more offerings for corporates or groups later in 2026.
There are many other ways for corporates or groups to get involved supporting Kaibosh throughout the year – or you can help us to fundraise.
Volunteer stories
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Help us achieve our vision of zero food poverty, zero food waste
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