Food security has been an issue for a long time in Southland but Covid 19 has brought it to the attention of more people, who are realising the key to effectively addressing it is communities working together.

Food security is defined as existing when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious foods.

Put simply, it is more than having enough to eat. It is about having enough of the right kind of food, so that everyone can lead a healthy, productive, and active life, and that there are no barriers to this, whether they are financial or physical.

Insights gathered before the covid19 lockdown showed the complexity that is the issue of food insecurity. Financial barriers as well as being in survival mode combined with access issues make it difficult for people to choose and prepare nutritious kai.

As part of their work in the food system, Healthy Families Invercargill facilitated Kai Design Workshops, aimed at brainstorming  community-led solutions to the food security issue. The workshops were attended by a range of social agencies, including Nga Kete Matauranga Pounamu Charitable Trust, Awarua Whanau Services, Jubilee Budgeting Services, Healthy Families Invercargill Strategic Leadership Group member and Elles Road New World owner Bradley Patton, the Salvation Army, Poppycock Trust, Southland Help, and Murihiku Marae.

Collaborating on community-led solutions is one of the primary principles of Healthy Families Invercargill and the team has also been working alongside several organisations during the Covid-19 lockdown and resulting welfare response to support the work being done to ensure all Southlanders have access to the food they need.

Janice Lee, general manager of Koha Kai, one of the organisations involved in the welfare response, said the Covid-19 lockdown had reinforced just how significant the food security issue was in Southland.

“Covid 19 was the catalyst. It has given us the opportunity to clearly define it (food insecurity) and establish how and where in each community is the best way to connect with people to address food insecurity.”

The issue was far bigger than a single organisation could manage, and it was essential organisations and community groups worked together to affect change, she said.

Connecting with organisations such as Healthy Families Invercargill was essential because it meant leveraging off much wider networks, to ensure the right people were getting the help, and the right people were involved in the solution design, she said.

Callum Clark, of New Zealand Red Cross, echoed Lee’s comments, saying collaboration was critical for effective community solutions.

New Zealand Red Cross actively built relationships with organisations working within the community to ensure that when emergencies occurred, such as the Covid 19 pandemic, an effective welfare response could be mobilised.

“It’s a really nice model and definitely has been useful.”

Healthy Families Invercargill manager Jared Cappie said there was no simple solution to the food security issue in Southland.

“We need to be looking at things from a collaborative viewpoint – what resources, knowledge and skills can we be sharing so that we can amplify existing initiatives to reach more people? How can we support locally grown and social enterprises better so that they are reaching not only more people, but the right people – those that need it the most, such as those in high deprivation areas. What actions do we need to take together to create a healthier food system for everyone, so that it is instinctual to put a food resilience lens across the response work people are doing? These are all things we can work together on, so that Southlanders have more food security.”

Article added: Friday 19 June 2020