One in five people living in Tauranga has absolutely no savings, while 44% of people only have enough savings to last one month if anything happens to their income.

Unexpected vehicle repairs or a school trip can be all it takes to tip some families over the edge, leaving them without enough money to put food on the table.

That’s where Ōtūmoetai’s Social Supermarket steps in. Run by the Linkt Community Trust, in partnership with Foodstuffs and Ōtūmoetai Baptist Church, people in need can seek a referral from 48 different agencies around Tauranga and then access affordable, safe, nutritious kai.

Groceries galore

Around 40 families a week are welcomed through the doors on Claremont Terrace, where shelves stacked with food and polished concrete floors make it look like any other supermarket.

Fresh produce, most of which has been grown in the garden outside or donated by the local community, costs just ‘one point’ for as much as a person needs, while other goods cost between one and five points each depending on their value.

A single person will be asked to pay $20, and can help themselves to 50 points worth of food. While large families of six or more people will contribute $50 and be allocated 80 points to spend.

“They get about four or five times the value of what they contribute,” explains Linkt Community Trust Manager, John Paine. “We aim for it to be like a week’s worth of food.”

Some families will only need to come once, while others who are working with social agencies to develop a support plan might need to visit more often. “Most families don’t come more than four times.”

Welcome & support

The key to that low revisitation rate is the big table and chairs that sit off to one side of the checkout counter.

Shoppers are offered a hot drink and some home baking, and have the chance to open up to volunteers, social agency or iwi representatives who regularly attend to offer a kind ear.

“It’s all about connecting,” John explains. “The table is a very important space because the table is where conversations happen and the trust is built. You can’t force people to sort out their problems, but you can give them aroha, manaaki and opportunities. We can help connect people to financial planning or whatever other support they might need. We work closely with local schools, iwi, Plunket, the Salvation Army, local doctors’ surgeries and health coaches, accessible property providers, Women’s Refuge and many more organisations. Our vision and values are all around connection.” 

In addition to the supermarket initiative, cooking, gardening and growing workshops are also on offer plus access to money mentoring programmes.

Growing strong

Linkt Community Trust’s Ideas and Connection Manager, Jackie Paine, says the aim is to solve a problem, not just meet a need. “So we have to keep morphing, and that's why we're looking at expanding our collaborative gardening and street garden initiatives this year.”

The idea is for neighbours to come together on a particular street and help each other grow a range of fresh produce they can share between them. One successful street garden is already underway in Darraghs Road in Ōtūmoetai where 15 people have joined together to grow their own kai, and forge stronger neighbourhood bonds in the process.

BayTrust backing

John says BayTrust has been a supporter of Ōtūmoetai’s Social Supermarket from the very beginning in 2022. This year it is granting $17,500 towards operational costs, allowing this important mahi to continue.

“It’s a big help. Our whakataukī (Māori proverb) is ‘nau te rourou, naku te rourou, ka ora ai nga iwi’ - ‘with what you have and I have, we all will thrive.’

“The community can do it if we all work together. BayTrust like to support new ideas and they can see the wider community is backing us, so they’re a crucial part of our funding team.”