Wellington Region Fruit and Vege Co-op

Launched in 2014 to tackle debt and food security in Porirua, the Wellington Fruit and Vege Co-op is a collaboration between Wesley Community Action and Te Whatu Ora. Partnering with MG Fresh Produce Group, a grower co-operative, the co-op buys distributes fresh fruit and vegetables to 1,700 households across the Wellington Region. Members report a range of positive outcomes across financial, health, social, and environmental spheres. These transformations include access to cheaper, more nutritious food, volunteering opportunities, new social connections, reduced waste and packaging, and direct support for local growers instead of supermarket intermediaries.

The Fruit and Vege Co-op emerged from Wesley Community Action's vision to shift from a charity model toward building lasting, community-based economic models. Wesley Community Action is now exploring how they can leverage the co-op network to expand into providing protein-rich foods and supporting local food production and local business sales.