March 16, 2026

🌱 2008 — A Simple Idea

We began with a simple question: what if good food didn’t go to waste?

Robyn and George Langlands started rescuing surplus food from Wishbone after hours and delivering it to Wellington Women’s Refuge and City Mission. From those humble beginnings, we became Aotearoa’s first dedicated food rescue service — powered entirely by volunteers.

🟢 2008 — We Become Kaibosh

We formally established Kaibosh Food Rescue as a charitable trust, created to connect surplus food with community need. What started as an idea quickly became a movement.

🚐 2009–2010 — Building the Foundations

As support grew, so did we. Funding enabled us to secure:

• A dedicated warehouse
• Our first Kaibosh van
• Our first paid driver and operations coordinator

We evolved from a grassroots initiative into a professional, reliable food rescue service our community could count on.

🌿 2011 — Recognised for Social Innovation

We received a Judges’ Commendation in the Social Innovation Award from the Sustainable Business Network, recognising our innovative response to food waste and food insecurity.

🏆 2012 — Regional & National Recognition

We were honoured to win:

• Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards – Supreme Winner
• Trustpower National Community Awards – Supreme Award

These awards helped elevate food rescue as a powerful climate and community solution.

⚖️ 2014 — Strengthening Food Donation Law

We worked alongside National Minister Nikki Kaye (RIP July 2020) to support amendments to the 2014 Food Act, ensuring the inclusion of the “Good Samaritan” clause (Clause 352).

This protection gives food businesses confidence to donate unsold food, provided it is safe and suitable — removing barriers and unlocking more surplus for communities.

🏢 2015 — Expanding to the Hutt Valley

We opened our Hutt Valley branch in Pito-one, strengthening our ability to meet growing need across the region.

📍 2018 — A New Home in Wellington

We moved into our purpose-built Wellington premises at 11 Hopper Street, increasing our warehousing, logistics capability and room to grow.

🌊 2020–2021 — Growing to Meet Demand

When the pandemic hit, we didn’t slow down — we stepped up.

• We launched our Kāpiti branch at Kāpiti Impact Trust, expanding north to support whānau and community groups in the Kāpiti–Horowhenua region.
• We opened a new Petone branch at 4 Petone Avenue during Covid to manage large food donations from the newly established New Zealand Food Network.
• Our Kāpiti branch moved to larger premises on Sheffield Street, enabling increased storage and greater rescue capacity.
• We received a Covid-19 Recognition Award from the New Zealand Government for maintaining uninterrupted service to our community partners.

During this time, our GM Matt Dagger helped establish the Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance (AFRA), serving as its first Board Chair — strengthening national support for local food rescue organisations across Aotearoa.

🌟 2022–2023 — Leadership Recognised

Our Chief Executive of more than 10 years, Matt Dagger (2013–2023), was named a semi-finalist for Kiwibank’s New Zealand Local Hero of the Year (2022) and in 2023 received an Absolutely Positively Wellington Award for service to Wellington.

His leadership helped grow Kaibosh into the essential service it is today.

🍽️ 2024 — Kaibosh Kitchens Established

We expanded beyond rescue into food production, opening our first Kaibosh Kitchen in Pito-one in April 2024.

We now transform rescued surplus food into nourishing meals and ready-to-eat options — strengthening community resilience and reducing food waste even further.

Kāpiti followed with its own kitchen, introducing “Chop and Chat” volunteer sessions that connect people while preparing kai.

🌾 2024 — Second Harvest Launches in Kāpiti–Horowhenua

We launched Second Harvest, collecting surplus produce directly from local farms and growers.

This initiative reduces on-farm waste, strengthens regional food security, and increases access to fresh, nutritious food for our community partners.

Working alongside the Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance, we also released a national Second Harvest resource to support food rescue organisations across the motu.

🎉 2025 — 5 Million Kilograms Rescued

We reached a major milestone: more than 5 million kilograms of food rescued and redistributed since 2008 — the equivalent of 11.1 million meals.

From a single after-hours pickup to millions of meals — that’s what sustained community effort can achieve.

📈 2026 — An Essential Regional Service

Today, we are an essential regional service.

Each month, we rescue on average:

• 75,000 kilograms of food
  
• The equivalent of 166,667 meals
  
• A reduction of 198,750 kilograms of CO₂ equivalent emissions

We work with:

• 100+ food donors
  
• 160+ community partners
  
• Supporting thousands of whānau every week

And we’re not done yet.

We will keep rescuing food.
We will keep reducing waste.
We will keep strengthening our communities.