Kirikiriroa Family Services Trust

06/06/2026

No child should have to wonder where their next meal is coming from.

Yet across the Waikato, food insecurity continues to rise, with more and more whānau finding it difficult to put nutritious food on the table. Behind every statistic is a child, a parent, a grandparent, and a whānau doing their best in increasingly challenging circumstances.

That is why we are creating a Social Supermarket in Kirikiriroa.

This is about more than food. It is about dignity. It is about choice. It is about ensuring whānau can access support in a way that upholds their mana.

Every day, we see the resilience of the families we walk alongside. We also see the pressures they face. No single organisation can solve food insecurity alone, but together we can create practical solutions that make a real difference for tamariki and whānau.

We are grateful to everyone who has helped bring this vision to life and to those who continue to believe that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive.

The need is real. The response must be too.

Thank you to RNZ for highlighting this important kaupapa and the growing challenge facing communities across our region.

Trust

Hamilton's first "social supermarket" is set to open amid a surge in working families struggling.

27/05/2026

✨ No whānau should have to choose between paying for power, keeping a roof over their heads, or putting healthy kai on the table.

Yet for too many across Waikato, food insecurity remains a daily reality, placing added pressure on whānau and impacting the wellbeing, stability, and future outcomes of tamariki.

We know that addressing food insecurity is about more than food. It is about dignity. It is about choice. It is about creating environments where whānau can thrive rather than simply survive.

That is why we want to acknowledge and thank the Department of Internal Affairs for investing in kaupapa that strengthen communities and support long term solutions to food insecurity across our rohe.

This support will help strengthen the systems and infrastructure needed to ensure tamariki and their whānau can access support in ways that uphold mana, reduce hardship, and contribute to stronger wellbeing outcomes for generations to come.

Meaningful change happens when communities, partners, and funders stand together with a shared commitment to tamariki and whānau.

Ngā mihi nui for backing whakaaro that place tamariki at the centre and invest in a stronger future for Waikato. 💛

19/05/2026

✨ Our rangatahi are not the future. They are shaping it now.

Our rangatahi are growing up in a world that asks a lot of them.

To be resilient. To navigate challenge. To carry expectations.
To discover who they are while the world keeps moving.

Yet every day, our young people continue to show courage, leadership, compassion and strength.

This Youth Week NZ, we celebrate our rangatahi for exactly who they are.

The ones finding their voice. The ones breaking cycles.
The ones showing up for their whānau. The ones dreaming bigger.
The ones creating change, often without recognition.

Your voice matters now.
Your whakaaro matters now.
Your wellbeing matters now.

Because when we back our rangatahi, listen without judgement, and create environments where they feel safe to thrive, we strengthen the future for everyone.

To all rangatahi across our communities, we see you. We celebrate you. And we believe in what is possible for you 💛

And this is only the beginning… Watch this space 👀 We have exciting things coming for our rangatahi.

15/05/2026

We stand in support of Lady Tureiti Moxon as she continues to champion our tamariki, whānau, and future generations ✊🏽🖤❤️🤍

Her unprecedented international human rights campaign to the United Nations is a powerful call for the protection of tamariki Māori, the upholding of te Tiriti o Waitangi, and accountability for the ongoing harm experienced by our people.

This kaupapa speaks to something deeply important:
Our tamariki deserve to grow within the embrace of their whānau, whakapapa, culture, and identity.

Too many whānau continue to experience the impacts of intergenerational trauma, systemic inequity, and the disproportionate removal of tamariki Māori from their homes and communities.

We tautoko this kaupapa because protecting tamariki means protecting whakapapa.
It means strengthening whānau.
And it means ensuring Māori voices are heard loudly on both national and international stages.

Ngā mihi to Lady Tureiti for continuing to stand boldly for our people and our future generations 🌱

15/05/2026

Today we wear pink 💖

Pink Shirt Day is more than a colour.
It is a reminder that kindness, inclusion, and standing up for one another matters.

Every tamaiti deserves to feel safe, valued, and accepted for exactly who they are.

And every one of us has a role to play in creating environments where bullying, judgement, and exclusion have no place.

At Kirikiriroa Family Services Trust, we know the impact words, actions, and environments can have on the wellbeing of our tamariki and whānau. Small acts of kindness can change someone’s entire day. Consistent acts of kindness can change communities.

Today we stand together in pink to promote:
✨ Kindness
✨ Respect
✨ Inclusion
✨ Mana enhancing spaces for all

A huge mihi to our kaimahi, tamariki, and whānau who joined in today, purchased raffle tickets, entered our colouring competition, and helped support a kaupapa that puts people first 🌸

Because creating safe spaces starts with all of us.

14/05/2026

Supporting solutions that put tamariki first 💛

We want to acknowledge the support of DV Bryant Trust for recognising what many of our communities are facing right now.
Food insecurity is not just a statistic.

It is something many whānau are navigating every single day.
And responding to that need requires more than short term solutions.

The whakaaro behind addressing food insecurity is about more than access to kai. It is about dignity. Choice. Stability.
And creating a space where whānau feel empowered, supported, and able to move beyond survival.

Kaupapa like this will only become possible when organisations are willing to stand alongside the community and back something different.

Ngā mihi nui for supporting whakaaro that place tamariki and whānau at the centre 🌱🛒

09/05/2026

🌸💛 Happy Mother’s Day 💛🌸

To the māmā, nanas, aunties, caregivers, and all those who nurture with aroha every single day 🌿

Today we celebrate you ✨

The ones who wipe tears 😢
The ones who carry so much behind the scenes 🤍
The ones who somehow make hard days feel safe, warm, and full of love 🏡

At KFST, we see the strength it takes to raise and care for our tamariki 🌱 We see the sacrifices, the resilience, the endless cups of tea gone cold ☕ and the love poured into every lunch packed, cuddle given, and encouragement shared 💛

Because of you, our tamariki are learning they are worthy, loved, capable, and strong 🌈

Thank you for showing up every day.
Thank you for loving fiercely.
Thank you for helping our tamariki thrive ✨

We hope today wraps around you with the same care you give so freely to others 💐

From all of us at KFST, Happy Mother’s Day 🩷

07/05/2026

A different way to support whānau in Kirikiriroa 🛒

We have been sitting with this for a while.

The latest Hunger Monitor found the Waikato has the highest rate of food insecurity in Aotearoa, with 40% of households struggling to access enough food.

We see what that means for our tamariki every day 💛 And we keep coming back to the same whakaaro…

Our tamariki deserve more than just getting by. They deserve to thrive. To learn. To grow. To be well. To be happy.

And access to the basics is part of that: good, reliable kai; a full puku; homes with less pressure and more stability.

So we have been thinking differently about what support could look like here in Kirikiriroa.

Something consistent.
Something that gives choice.
Something that empowers whānau to move beyond survival.

Because right now, there is no social supermarket in Kirikiriroa. Maybe it is time? 🌱

03/05/2026

Hands up for New Zealand Sign Language Week 🤟

This week, we celebrate te reo Turi o Aotearoa the language of our Deaf community, a language of identity, culture, and connection.

And today marks something special… 20 years since NZSL became an official language of Aotearoa 🖤

That milestone reflects the strength and advocacy of the Deaf community to have their language recognised, protected, and valued.

For us, this kaupapa is also about our tamariki.
Every child deserves to be seen, heard, and understood in whatever language that looks like for them.

When we uplift NZSL, we create spaces where Deaf and hard of hearing tamariki can thrive, connect, and stand strong in who they are. And when all tamariki are exposed to NZSL, we grow a generation that values inclusion, communication, and kotahitanga from the very beginning.

NZSL Week is about more than awareness.
It’s about inclusion.
It’s about visibility.
It’s about belonging for all especially our tamariki 🤍

Want to learn a few signs or get involved? Check out these awesome resources:
https://nzsignlanguage.nz/nzsl-week/nzsl-week-resources/

Let’s keep learning.
Let’s keep showing up.
Let’s keep removing barriers.

02/05/2026

In the lead up to Mothers Day, what better way to honour our mothers than by standing behind wāhine who are not only nurturing their whānau, but leading the change our communities need.

We stand with Djirra in calling out systemic racism and backing Indigenous women to lead the solutions. This is about safety, dignity, and ensuring our wāhine and tamariki are seen, heard, and protected.

Across the moana, we see you, we back you, and we stand alongside you in this kaupapa.

Self determination. Strength. Real change.