In a heartwarming partnership that blends innovation with impact, KiwiHarvest has joined forces with JAC Electric Trucks to supercharge New Zealand’s fight against food waste and hunger. As a leading food rescue charity, KiwiHarvest is all about turning problems into solutions—saving surplus food from landfills and redistributing it to those in need. Now, thanks to the wheels of change provided by JAC, the organization is set to hit the road harder, greener, and faster than ever before.
The JAC 100% Electric Truck, generously gifted to KiwiHarvest for a year, is helping the organization redefine its reach across Auckland City. The zero-emission powerhouse doesn’t just expand KiwiHarvest’s capacity for food collections—it turbocharges their mission. With an additional 2,100+ collections under its (seat)belt, the truck will help deliver over 400,000 extra meals annually to communities in need.
“We feed around 9,500 people every week, and hitting the milestone of 14 million kgs of food rescued is something we’re incredibly proud of,” said Angela Calver, KiwiHarvest’s chief executive. “The JAC truck allows us to rescue more food while reducing our carbon footprint—a win-win on every level” .
KiwiHarvest is already making a monumental impact, rescuing roughly 200,000kg of perfectly good food every month, which is then diverted to over 220 recipient charities nationwide. Not only does this distribution nourish people, but it also cuts down on carbon emissions—preventing a whopping 37,945,814 kilos of CO2-equivalent from entering the atmosphere so far. Talk about an appetite for sustainability !
Though KiwiHarvest doesn’t directly provide food parcels to individuals, their rescue efforts ripple through countless foodbanks across the country, making real connections between surplus and scarcity. Their mission is deeply rooted in the spirit of community, exemplified by the Māori whakataukī: “Naku te rourou, nau te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi – with your basket and my basket the people will live” .
As the partnership takes off, KiwiHarvest’s latest electric addition isn’t just lightening its environmental load—it’s also proof that good food, saved, can lead to great change. If saving 14 million kgs of food isn’t inspiring enough, think about the 31,820,389 meal equivalents created along the way . Now that’s food for thought.
Here’s to KiwiHarvest speeding toward an even greener future—one rescued kilo at a time.
