Kai Ora Collective

04/06/2026

🍏 FRESH PRODUCE PRICE UPDATE: A Mixed Bag at the Checkout! 🛒🥦

Hey Kiwi shoppers! If you’ve been heading down the produce aisle lately, you might have noticed a bit of a shift. Here is the latest scoop on what's happening with fruit and vegetable prices across Aotearoa:

📉 The Good News: According to Stats NZ https://www.stats.govt.nz, we've seen some slight monthly relief recently, with fruit and vegetable prices dipping by an average of 0.8% thanks to seasonal shifts and supermarket specials. [Overall food inflation also eased to 2.6%] https://tradingeconomics.com, marking a steady moderation from the massive spikes we saw earlier.

🔺 The Reality Check: While monthly prices are dipping, they are still sitting noticeably higher than they were a couple of years ago. Supply chains are still recovering from previous weather events, and Consumer NZ has reminded shoppers that the supermarket duopoly continues to keep competitive pressure quite tight.

💡 What it looks like at the checkout right now (Average Indicators):

* Carrots: Starting around $2.49/kg 🥕
* Brown Onions: Hovering around $1.89 – $2.29/kg 🧅
* Potatoes (Agria): Sitting around $2.83/kg 🥔
* Green Kiwifruit: Roughly $4.99/kg 🥝

PRO TIP: Prices can still vary quite a bit depending on your region and whether you're shopping at PAK'nSAVE, New World, or Woolworths. It’s highly recommended to check your local store's online tracker or look into local vege hubs to snag the best weekly deals!

What are you seeing at your local supermarket? Are the prices getting better or still pinching the wallet? Let us know below! 👇

04/06/2026

A little slice of green paradise in the city! 🌿 Welcome to Mahinga Kai Urban Farm, where fresh kai and community connection grow hand-in-hand. 🧑‍🌾👇

🌐 Grab our free community cookbook at www.kaioracollective.nz

21/05/2026

Celebrate the versatility of your fridge with this quick and easy Okonomiyaki! 🥬🥕
Looking for a delicious way to clear out the crisper drawer? This Japanese-inspired savory pancake is the ultimate solution for those odds and ends of vegetables. Whether it’s a stray carrot, half a zucchini, or some extra cabbage, it all works perfectly in this batter.

In just 20 minutes, you can turn your "leftover" veggies into a crisp, golden, and filling meal that the whole family will love.

Okonomiyaki (Savory Vegetable Pancakes)
⏱ Time: 20 mins
🍽 Serves: 4–6
Cooking Method: Stovetop
Quick Steps:
1. Whisk together eggs, water, soy sauce, ginger, chili, flour, and baking powder.
2. Fold in 4 cups of cabbage and 2 cups of any extra grated or finely chopped vegetables you have on hand.
3. Cook ½ cup portions in a medium-heat pan for about 4 minutes per side until browned.
4. Top with your favorites! We love mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sesame seeds, or leftover shredded chicken.

Check out the full recipe in the image below!

✨ Pro Tip: These make incredible lunches for the following day.
Want more budget-friendly and nutritious meal ideas? You can download the full Kai Ora Collective cookbook from our website: 🌐 www.kaioracollective.nz

20/05/2026

🌿 Fresh Fruit & Veggie Update for the Wellington Region

Autumn is settling in across Te Upoko o Te Ika, and our growers are already seeing the shift. Persimmons have arrived early this year, apples and pears are in beautiful supply, and hearty staples like carrots, kūmara, and leafy greens are keeping whānau well-fed as the weather cools.

Across the motu, there’s a big push to help families stretch their budgets without losing out on good kai. Simple, colourful meals, more home cooking, and making the most of seasonal produce are all trends showing up in communities just like ours.

We’re also seeing more people getting creative in the kitchen, turning affordable fruit and veg into meals that feel special, even when money is tight. It’s a good reminder that nourishing kai doesn’t have to be fancy to be delicious.

Here in the Wellington region, our co‑ops, community gardens, and local growers continue to show what’s possible when we look after each other and keep kai local. Every box, every seedling, every shared recipe helps build a food system that works for people, not profit.

If you’re keen to be part of a movement that puts community first, we’d love to have you with us.

Sick of supermarket power?
It’s time for community power.
Start today and register at www.kaioracollective.nz

19/05/2026

Community driven 💯
We're loving the new Kai Ora Collective billboard on Taranaki Street!
Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul did the honours with the ribbon this morning to mark the official launch of the Collective – previously known as Wellington Region Fruit & Vege Co-ops.
We’re looking forward to more people joining the Collective to get fresh, affordable, local produce in their community every week.
The more people who start ordering through one of the Collective’s 10 packing hubs the cheaper the produce – and that’s got to be a win right now as prices keep rising.
Let’s celebrate the power of community, one apple and a bunch of silverbeet at a time!
Fresh kai. Fair prices. Friendly faces. https://kaioracollective.nz
A shout out to the Sustainability Trust's Curtain Bank for the old curtain we used to make the ribbon!
Share amongst your friends and whanau 😁

Health NZ – Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley

14/05/2026

🥬Silverbeet: the leafy green that does "everything"

Budget‑friendly, nourishing, and seriously versatile, silverbeet is a kai champion when you’ve got a bunch to use up!

✨Top Silverbeet Recipe Ideas to Try This Week✨

🍋 Mediterranean Silverbeet with Garlic & Lemon
Sauté the stems in olive oil with garlic and lemon zest, then wilt in the leaves. Delicious with pasta or rice, or topped with feta as a side dish.

🥧 Silverbeet & Feta Filo Pie
Leek, silverbeet, garlic, feta and eggs wrapped in buttery filo pastry and baked at 190°C until golden and flaky.

🥔 Creamy Silverbeet & Potato Mash
Boil potatoes and silverbeet stems until tender, add the leaves for the last 3–5 minutes, then mash with olive oil and garlic.

🍝 Silverbeet & Ricotta Gnudi (Dumplings)
Blanched and squeezed silverbeet mixed with ricotta, parmesan and flour. Boil until they float, then serve with tomato sauce.

🎥 Want to see it in action?
This short video shows how to make easy, cheesy silverbeet & ricotta dumplings (from Love Food Hate Waste NZ): https://www.facebook.com/lovefoodhatewastenz/videos/1650505209063460/

Perfect for reducing food waste and making the most of what’s in season 💚
Tell us — which silverbeet recipe will you try first? 😋

14/05/2026

Please share this invite to a free concert being held in our region next Friday night 22 May 7pm at the Walter Nash Centre.

First class entertainment .. orchestra, choir and Holly Smith … it doesn’t get better than that!

13/05/2026

🚛💚 What do you know about Kaibosh Food Rescue? 💚🚛

Kaibosh Food Rescue is a Wellington‑based charity doing incredible mahi—rescuing good surplus food and redistributing it to community groups supporting people in need. Less food waste, less food poverty, more nourished whānau. 🌱🥕

🌾 We’re Moving Kai in May – and you can be part of it! 🌾

Every day, perfectly good kai is left behind in fields, on farms and in orchards. Kaibosh is working with growers in Kāpiti and Horowhenua to capture this farm‑fresh kai that won’t go to market, and get it to the people who need it most.

🚚 To scale this mahi up, Kaibosh needs a new low‑emissions truck. With your support, they can deliver tonnes of fresh, locally grown fruit and veggies to 160+ community partners across the region.

💚 Join us for Moving Kai in May
Jump on board and let’s keep the kai moving, together.

👉 Donate today:
* Visit Kaibosh https://kaibosh.org.nz/
* https://bit.ly/4282BgQ

🎥 Watch the kaupapa in action:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lLnB4jajgYM

Together, we can support people, protect the whenua, and make sure good food never goes to waste. 🌏🥬

We're Moving Kai in May - you can be part of it! Every day, good food is left behind in fields, on farms and in orchards. So we're working with growers in K...