100 signatures reached
To: All political parties who seek election in 2026
Pledge: Vote for Kai
We, the undersigned, are calling on all political parties to prioritise our food system in this year's national election.
We believe that no matter who you are or where you are from, everyone across Aotearoa New Zealand deserves the right to have access to nutritious food, which reflects our preferences and gives us agency in the design of the system that creates and distributes it.
So to every political party wanting our vote this election: tell us what you’ll do for food.
We’re voting for kai.
Why is this important?
We’re food producing champions. We should be able to feed our people.
Too many children go to school hungry.
Too many children go to school hungry.
Too many people are skipping meals because the money runs out before the week does.
Too many of us are making tough choices between nutritious food, rent, power, health care, fuel and other essentials.
As a nation, we’ve never been short of ingenuity when something needs fixing. Our food system needs redesigning, and we all need to work together to find the solutions. We need a commitment to a long term plan to deal with the underlying causes of food insecurity, rather than just muddling along with an increasing amount of hungry families needing foodbanks.
We are everyday people: iwi, hapū, whānau members, mums and dads, aunties and uncles, farmers, fishers and food producers, health workers, community groups, educators, businesses, organisations, and eaters.
No matter who we are or where we are from, we all agree food is not getting the serious political attention it deserves, and that needs to change. We can do better.
We are calling on all political parties to make a genuine commitment to a food system that works for everyone. We want to see this commitment before the election so we can support those with the best solutions.
Specifically, we want to see:
A long-term plan.
A long-term plan.
Affordable, healthy kai for everyone.
Farming and food that looks after animals, the land and the ocean.
A fair go for local producers, manufacturers and food businesses.
Good food environments for our tamariki / children.
A food system grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Communities having a decision-making role in their kai / food system.
Communities having a decision-making role in their kai / food system.
Celebration and protection of our food cultures.
We believe Aotearoa New Zealand can become a place where everyone has access to good food, where local kai systems thrive, food producers are valued, communities are resourced and exports are a vital part of our economy.
We’re not asking political parties to agree on everything but access to kai is fundamental.
By signing this pledge to vote for kai you are sending a message to political parties across the spectrum that you expect to see robust policies that will strengthen our food systems. We will update everyone who signs this pledge about what commitments each political party makes in relation to our demands.