A Te Puke meals on wheels service, canned last year, has been revived.

The service, provided for around a decade by CHT Healthcare Trust’s Glynavon Care Home, came to an end in November.

However, rather than leave those using the service in the lurch, inquiries were made about the possibility of alternatives, with community support organisation Colab contacted.

Now, the Daily Charitable Trust has taken on the service on a not-for-profit basis as part of its philosophy of wanting everyone to eat well.

“So now we’ve taken it on,” said the trust’s general manager Chrissi Robinson.

The service is called Aroha Meals.

“There was a bit of a gap between when they stopped, and we started. We did a small trial then launched it again about a month ago.”

There are five- and seven-day-a week options. Hot meals are dropped of each weekday with two frozen meals delivered on a Friday for those wanting meals every day.

“We are doing it at cost so we can keep the cost down,” said Robinson.

“Our hope is that we can bring on more local or donated ingredients so we can keep that price as low as possible so it’s really accessible and delicious.”

Volunteers were used to deliver the meals.

“That’s really helped us keep the costs down as well.”

For now, delivered meals are only available in Te Puke and the immediate surrounds, but the hope is the service can, if demand is there, be extended to the wider Te Puke district.

“We feel we are supporting the elderly, unwell or injured or people who may be struggling with the nutrition they need – or maybe they just don’t want to cook.

“We just want to see good food on every table. To some people that’s really hard to achieve maybe in a short-term period if something happens or a stage of life, whether too busy or elderly.

“It is also part of wanting everyone to eat well and build on our goals that we share with our community around food sovereignty, which is people having access to quality protein and veggies.”

The Daily initiated a survey last year that showed how difficult things are for some people.

“That was the main feedback on what would help – cheaper protein and fruit and veggies and good food health food – so we see this as a response to that.”

One of the frozen meals delivered on a Friday for those on the seven-day-a- week option.

Up until the start of the year, The Daily was contracted to provide 2000 free school meals for the eight schools eligible for the government’s Ka Ora, Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches programme.

Through ploughing money back into meal preparation, sponsorship and community support, it also provided an additional 200 meals to students in ineligible schools.

The centralisation of meal provision from the start of 2025 means the trust now provides lunches to just two schools.

Although far from ideal for the trust, the downscaling of the contract means there is capacity to provide the meals on wheels.

“We have our journey of learning about it we’ve got our vans, and I think that’s why Colab reached out to us, because we were in a good place to do it.

“And it’s been exciting to up our volunteer numbers again.

“Also, it’s really nice connection. It’s a daily ‘hello’ for people who might not have much social interaction in their day.

“So, it ticks a lot of our boxes that we are connecting over food, supporting food security … and having a local solution to a local problem. With our assets and strengths, it works really well.”

Trace Norman – one of the volunteer delivery drivers – said he enjoyed seeing people and likes to help the community.

“I love seeing people smile and it brings me into contact with the community.”

CHT Care Homes chief executive Carriann Hall said when the decision was made to stop the service, the commitment to finding an alternative solution was underpinned by an understanding of the importance of this service for people who need it.

“We ensured that anyone who was using our service was personally contacted, and guidance given to help them create an appropriate plan to continue receiving the food service they require.”

The number of meals provided weekly varied according to the community’s requirements.

The new service has an online or telephone ordering system.

See The Daily Charitable Trust’s website for more information.