In the Media

A key component of resilient communities is the ability to get food to people in times of need. The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that came with it revealed the importance of locally connected food relief and food rescue organisations – established operations that divert good, nutritious food from waste and get it onto the tables of people who need it.

The Nelson Environment Centre’s Kai Rescue programme raised enough funds to purchase an electric van, an environmental step to helping the community.

An LDV eDeliver 9 electric van with a 51.5kWh battery has been obtained by the Nelson Environment Centre for its Kai Rescue and Hapori Fruit and Veg box operations, together with a fast-charging station.

A bible belonging to the first ordained Presbyterian minister to volunteer for active service as a soldier during the First World War is going on sale in Nelson.

After severe flooding damaged hundreds of homes in Nelson last month, residents had the chance to put questions about sea level rise, climate change and their environmental concerns to those vying for the region's mayoralty.

If you take a detour from supermarkets to grocery stores, markets, or pre-order a veggie box in the Nelson region, you could currently cut your fruit and vegetable bill by more than a third in some cases.

A new initiative to bring locally grown produce to Nelson communities will save families money while making them feel ka pai.

Victory Community Centre, Nelson Marlborough Health, and the Nelson Environment Centre have teamed up for the new initiative Hapori Fruit & Veg Box.

First it was plastic bags, now synthetic Covid-19 face masks are ending up in the stormwater system and the sea.

A call to manage a population of deer on private land in Nelson has led to a donation of venison to a food rescue programme.

A donation of venison to Nelson’s Kai Rescue will go down a treat for people in need.

The Nelson branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association has given Kai Rescue more than 30kg of venison sausages and patties, which will be distributed to those in need of food.

Nelson Environment Centre CEO Anton Drazevic said people sourcing fresh fruit, vegetables, and protein from as close to their homes as possible had the least impact on the environment.

“Locally grown is always the best way to reduce transport miles.”

Rutherford Hotel sous chef Yamal Bauer has been preparing food for the Seafood NZ Conference which has had to be cancelled under level 4 restrictions. The food will now be donated to not-for-profit organisation Kai Rescue and distributed to community groups in Nelson

Many a Nelsonian will have donated items or scored a bargain at the regions ReUse shops, which have been part of the commitment to reduce waste going to landfill for more than 30 years.

The shops, run by the Nelson Environment Centre have recently been given a new lease on life, with their contents tidied and organised by a team of staff and volunteers.

Food for nearly 300 people at Seafood New Zealand’s national conference will not go to waste over lockdown, after being donated to those in need.

Beef Bourguignon and lobster tail are on the menu for struggling Nelson families this weekend after Covid cancelled the Seafood New Zealand conference.

Nelson Environment Centre chief executive Anton Drazevic welcomed greater accountability for businesses, to help prevent greenwashing (marketing a product as environmentally friendly in a disingenuous or untruthful way).

The Nelson City Council is preparing to send a letter to local retailers asking them to consider the way they package their goods as part of a push to get Nelsonians to better recycle.

The head of the Nelson Environment Centre says action on climate change begins at home. The almost 50-year-old independent non-profit organisation has helped the Nelson Tasman community to live more sustainably and has advised on ways to reduce human impact on the environment.

Nelson Environment Centre is a social enterprise that helps the Nelson Tasman community live more sustainably and reduce its impact on the environment.

Manager Anton Drazevic said initiatives like the soft plastics scheme had shown a change in thinking from many retailers in how they dealt with the issue.

A group of volunteers in Nelson have been recognised for dedicating thousands of hours to rescuing food waste from landfill.

In the 40 years since its inception, the Nelson Environment Centre has been seen as a leader in dealing with waste. 

Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage said she was "delighted" to be at the formal opening of Ecoland in Vanguard St last week, which is home to the Nelson Environment Centre, Kai Rescue and the Nelson Organic-Co-op and the Nelson Community Food Bank. 

More than a year after Kai Rescue was launched in Nelson to divert perfectly edible food from ending up in landfill, more than 75 tonnes of food has been given to those in need.

The organisation collects unwanted and surplus food and redistributes it to over 40 charity organisations and groups.

Food destined for the rubbish bin will soon be rescued and sent off to a new home.

On April 3, volunteers for the Nelson Environment Centre's new Food Rescue Service will visit the central city Countdown supermarket to pick up unwanted and surplus food to redistribute to charity organisations and groups.