SDG 2 Zero Hunger

Free food for staff and students experiencing tough times

Staff and students experiencing food insecurity during tough times have access to a range of support services.

Through the Waikato Students' Union (WSU) (opens in a new tab), students at the Hamilton campus can access free grocery packs from the Kai Cupboard. WSU also provides food parcels and hardship grants to support students experiencing financial difficulties, alongside confidential advocacy and financial support (opens in a new tab).

The Hamilton campus is also home to community gardens (opens in a new tab), run by members of the Free Food Club. This club is open to students, staff and members of the public. Members who maintain the garden can harvest produce for themselves as they need it. Produce from the garden can also be used to make homemade soups, free for students.

At our Tauranga campus, staff and students benefit from a weekly supply of surplus food donated by businesses from around the region, courtesy of Good Neighbour (opens in a new tab).

Together, these initiatives provide practical food assistance and help people experiencing financial hardship access groceries, fresh produce and prepared food.

Sustainable and healthy food choices

The University of Waikato provides sustainable, healthy, and affordable food choices through its campus food outlets and catering services.

Our onsite caterer, Kahurangi (opens in a new tab), operates the kitchens for our Halls of Residence, runs campus cafés, and provides catering for University events. The University's campus food outlets offer vegetarian and vegan options, providing alternatives to meat-based meals.

Kahurangi's sustainability practices include prioritising fresh ingredients from local suppliers wherever possible, supporting regional businesses and purchasing sustainably sourced products. Its supply chain includes locally grown fruit and vegetables and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified hoki. These purchasing practices support local food producers and promote more sustainable food supply chains. Kahurangi also works to reduce food waste and disposable packaging through careful food planning, food redistribution and compostable takeaway packaging. 100% of coffee grounds produced by Kahurangi are recycled by the university landscaping team all food waste is diverted from the landfill and recovered as animal feed.  

To support healthy eating, Kahurangi employs an in-house dietitian who reviews its food offerings and identifies opportunities to improve nutrition. Its nutrition and food safety programme (opens in a new tab) also addresses special dietary requirements and allergen management. Students living in the fully catered Halls of Residence receive nourishing meals every day, with menus updated each semester.

The University's Procurement Policy also supports environmentally and socially sustainable procurement, including consideration of local economic and environmental benefits when purchasing goods and services. This provides an institutional framework for considering sustainability in purchasing decisions.

The University also supports access to free fresh produce through initiatives such as the WSU community garden (opens in a new tab).

Sharing food production and sustainable agriculture knowledge

The University of Waikato works with local growers, agricultural businesses and food producers to develop and share knowledge and technologies that support productive and sustainable food systems.

Through its Blue/Green Tech Lab in Tauranga (opens in a new tab), the University collaborates with local companies on research and development in horticulture and aquaculture. The Lab brings together expertise in robotics, automation, artificial intelligence and biotechnology to address practical challenges facing primary industries.

The University also works with AgriSea (opens in a new tab) to develop sustainable aquaculture and seaweed-based innovations. This partnership builds on research into native seaweed applications, including environmental restoration and the production of algal biomass for commercial products such as agricultural biostimulants.

The University shares agricultural technology with industry through initiatives such as Fieldays (opens in a new tab), where researchers have demonstrated robotic harvesting, pruning and navigation technologies designed to reduce crop losses, improve efficiency and address labour shortages in horticulture.

Through these research partnerships, technology demonstrations and industry-focused activities, the University contributes knowledge and innovation that can help local food producers improve productivity and develop more sustainable agricultural and aquaculture practices.

Connecting farmers and food producers with research and innovation

The University of Waikato participates in events that bring agricultural and horticultural industries together with researchers and technology developers to share knowledge and explore practical solutions for food production.

At Fieldays 2025 (opens in a new tab), the University showcased robotic horticulture technology in the Innovation Hub and supported the Fieldays Tent Talks programme. The talks provided expert-led sessions lasting 20 to 40 minutes, with no booking required, giving farmers, growers and other industry professionals opportunities to learn about new technologies, industry developments and emerging challenges.

The University also demonstrated horticultural innovations at Fieldays, including robotic technologies designed to handle fruit more gently and reduce damage during harvesting and packing. These demonstrations connected University research with the practical needs of the horticulture sector.

Through its participation in agricultural events, the University helps connect researchers, industry professionals and food producers, supporting the exchange of knowledge about technology and innovation in primary production.

University research facilities supporting sustainable production

The University of Waikato maintains research facilities and technology capabilities relevant to sustainable food production, horticulture and aquaculture.

The University's Coastal Marine Field Station (opens in a new tab) in Tauranga provides specialist laboratory and research aquarium facilities for marine science, environmental monitoring and aquaculture research. Its research activities include the development of knowledge and technologies that support marine ecosystem resilience and a sustainable blue economy.

The University also operates a Blue/Green Tech Lab (opens in a new tab) that brings together research expertise and specialised facilities to support projects with local companies in horticulture and marine industries. Its work includes robotics, automation, artificial intelligence and biotechnology.

These facilities provide a research and technology base relevant to the challenges faced by agricultural, horticultural and aquaculture producers. The University works with industry partners to develop applied research and innovation for these sectors.

Regenerating shellfish in our harbours

Associate Professor Kura Paul-Burke (opens in a new tab) is a passionate marine scientist based at our Tauranga campus.  One of her key research projects in 2021 involved helping restore mussel populations in Ōhiwa Harbour using a blend of Māori knowledge and western science.

New mussel lines made of woven, natural materials were developed and are now laden with mussels. The lines are far kinder to the harbour than the plastic lines preferred by commercial mussel farmers. In 2021 she was nominated for the second year in a row for the Kudos Science Trust Awards in both the Environmental Science and Vision Mātauranga categories.

Unlocking the potential of algae

We have a large and growing team of researchers dedicated to macroalgal research, developing innovative ways to use seaweed which is accumulating in our harbours. We are exploring many new opportunities for seaweed as a source of food and as a potential way to protect New Zealand's broader horticultural industry. (opens in a new tab)