3 October, 2025
A windfall for those struggling In the wake of a weekend of wild winds in the Western Bay of Plenty mid-September, a local charity stepped in to turn a tragedy for avocado growers into tangible good for communities across the North Island. Good Neighbour’s Second Harvest team
last Sunday completed a 12-day recovery and redistribution effort in the Te PunaKatikati area, by collecting windfallen avocados from the windstorm to give to those struggling to put food on the table. A total of 17 tonnes of avocados were
rescued from 17 orchards, then sorted and delivered to families from Kaitaia to Wellington, said Good Neighbour general manager Renee Hanna. “Avocados – that kind of food is something that people [we distribute food to] would
never even imagine buying. It’s something that they don’t get their hands on at all,” said Hanna, who is incredibly proud of her organisation’s volunteers and staff who stepped in so quickly to help recover the fruit. Read more on page 3. Photo / Supplied