On this page
- Food waste and composting
- Free food for students and all those in need
- Food drive to support students and all those in need
- Creating ice cream from cosmetically imperfect cauliflowers!
- Elderly in aged care are at risk of malnourishment
- Free public lectures on nutrition
- Collaborations with local farmers and food producers
- Related content
Food waste and composting
In 2023, Massey University composted 14,639kg of food waste, compostable packaging items and paper towels. This is 27% higher than in 2023, with a huge increase of 189% on the Wellington campus and 62% on the Auckland one. In contrast, 28% less was collected on the Manawatū campus.
- 4,369kg on the Manawatū campus.
- 6,980kg on the Auckland campus.
- 3,290kg on the Wellington campus.
In 2024, Wellington campus became a Community Composting hub. Staff and students are working with the Wellington City Council to trial composting food scraps on site in order to test composting at a community scale. The trial will run until mid-2025.
In an exciting initiative in 2022 and 2023, PreCycle collected paper towels from the Manawatū campus Recreation Centre. PreCycle aims to recycle the towels into construction materials.
Waste audits of the general waste on each campus were carried out in August 2022 using Catalysing Climate Action funding from the Vice-Chancellor.
The audits were in conjunction with PreCycle (Palmerston North), Sustainability Trust (Wellington) and OCS (Albany).
High proportions of compostable waste, mainly food and paper towels, were found on each campus. From this baseline, initiatives are underway to further increase composting levels on all campuses.
Additionally, the Manawatū dining halls have installed Leanpath technology to assess food wastage in dollars and weightage, with the ability to set goals for constant improvements.
Wharerata, the staff cafeteria on the Manawatū campus, and the Manawatū dining halls both support a community food hub, Just Zilch. Leftover daily production gets given to people needing assistance through the hub.
Various Green Impact teams are composting scraps they produce at work, with some teams even aiming for zero food waste to landfill. Examples include:
- The Te Paepoto team in Turitea, who collect scraps to feed to the wonderful kune kune Betty and Wilma
- The Ngā Kaitiaki Taiao | Library team in Albany, who feed scraps to their worm farm and take other leftovers home for composting.
Free food for students and all those in need
Massey University has partnerships with 2 food rescue organizations, Just Zilch in Palmerston North and Kaibosh in Wellington, to provides free food and essential household items for students in need. Deliveries occur weekly, with goods delivered on Tuesdays in Wellington and Thursdays in Palmerston North. We extend our gratitude to Massey’s chaplaincies and the student association Te Tira Ahu Pae for coordinating these services. Additionally, emergency food boxes are prepared for students in financial hardship.
Students and all those in need are also welcome to visit Just Zilch from Monday to Friday to receive food directly.
Food drive to support students and all those in need
In September 2024, Massey University teamed up with student association Te Tira Ahu Pae and the City Mission for the Can Can Plus Campaign. Eight boxes of canned and dry food were collected across the 3 campuses and equally shared between students in need and the City Mission.
Dr Tere McGonagle-Daly, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Students and Global Engagement, was pleased to see staff and students donate to this important cause. "I want to pass on a huge thanks to all those that donated to the Can Can Plus campaign. Helping students have access to food when they are in hardship can directly support their studies, as they may struggle with energy levels, focus and stress if they aren’t eating well, or regularly.”
Creating ice cream from cosmetically imperfect cauliflowers!
EatKinda cauliflower vegan ice cream, co-developed by a Massey student and winner in the recent KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards, uses cosmetically imperfect food supermarkets can't sell.
EatKinda received investment and support through the Massey Ventures Student Investment Fund and recently won the Momentum Student Entrepreneur category in the 10th annual KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards.
Elderly in aged care are at risk of malnourishment
Recent Massey research found that 83% of residents in 3 rest homes were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. The findings highlighted the need for regular malnutrition screening in residential aged care.
Free public lectures on nutrition
Massey hosted a series of free nutrition webinars for the public in 2021 and 2022 as part of World Iron Awareness Week.
Collaborations with local farmers and food producers
Massey shares its knowledge and expertise about sustainable agriculture with many local farmers and food producers.
Tiaki Wai Catchment Solutions Field Day – June 2023
This day attracted over 60 participants eager to learn about improving waterways on farms. The event featured practical demonstrations and presentations providing valuable insights to attendees.
Whenua Haumanu project
As part of the university's Whenua Haumanu project, Massey:
- Collaborated with 10 Taranaki farmers committed to practising regenerative agriculture. The team is employing a participatory and co-design approach. This initiative aims to improve sustainable farming practices in the region.
- Hosted 2 hands-on pasture identification workshops in Taranaki and Manawatū, engaging a total of 32 farmers in December 2022 and March 2023.
- Hosted a Visual Soil Assessment (VSA) training workshop by Graham Shepherd and attended by 45 farmers, researchers and students in October 2023. The VSA is a simple field method published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and used internationally to assess soil health.
The project and its associated research were presented and discussed with:
- 30 Taranaki farmers, advisors, agriculture teachers and government agency staff in May 2023
- a group of 40 farmers from the B+LNZ Next Generation group in May 2023
- a group of 22 farmers from the Beef and Lamb, Western North Island Farmer Council in June 2023.
Sustainable Farming Fund Field Day
In November 2022, Massey hosted the Sustainable Farming Fund Field Day, tailored for local farmers and rural professionals.
The event showcased several demonstrations unveiling innovative methods to protect waterways on farms. Attendees also benefited from presentations covering the latest research in sustainability, insights into upcoming projects, and perspectives from industry and regional councils.
Short courses on sustainable agriculture
Massey offers a series of short courses on sustainable agriculture for rural professionals, including local farmers and food producers. Courses cover agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable nutrient usage and environmentally friendly water plans.
Please see the Agriculture section of our Short Courses page
Massey research farms and facilities
Massey’s Farmed Landscapes Research Centre has a range of research facilities available, including controlled glasshouses, laboratories and equipment, which are often used in collaboration with local farmers and food producers to investigate and improve sustainable farming practices. Massey’s research farms also get used for many collaborative research projects. Ongoing research covers climate change mitigation, sustainable nutrient management, and Smart Farming with precision tools and technologies.
The Farmed Landscapes Research Centre also offers services to local farmers, including conducting research, product evaluations, and analytical services for soil, plant, and water.
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