WeSTEM 2025 - PROJECT #5

Less waste more taste

Fair Food + Kelston & Rangeview Intermediate Schools

"How can we increase kai sovereignty in our communities, giving students and families greater autonomy and access to healthy, affordable food?"

This innovative collaboration saw 12 student leaders from Kelston and Rangeview Intermediate Schools joining Fair Food in their “Conscious Kitchen” for a 10-week programme to learn how to repurpose food waste into nutritious, affordable meals.

The project empowered students to develop an inquisitive and mindful relationship with food, growing their understanding of urban food systems and the science and technological processes behind food preservation, preparation and distribution.

Following their Fair Food experience, students took the learnings back to school and apply their new knowledge to improving food sovereignty in their communities. Initial ideas included upgrading the tuck shop at Rangeview Intermediate and producing recipe books and informational materials to help local families reduce food waste.

This project follows on from the 2024 iteration of the Youth Voices initiative, during which students from Rangeview and Kelston Intermediate Schools created the writing and artwork features in Whakarongo ki te Reo Mātātahi volume III to voice their concerns on issues affecting their community. The cost of food was a common theme, with students wanting to understand and seek solutions for making nutritious food more accessible.