Luxon’s Government nearly halves food bank funding as demand hits record high – Green

The Green Party says this Government has nearly halved funding for food banks in Budget 2026, extending the $15 million in annual support for just one more year before cutting it to $8 million a year from 2027, at the very moment demand has never been higher.

“Food banks are the last lifeline for the people doing it the toughest, and this Government has chosen to nearly halve their funding,” says Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson.

“Demand has never been higher. The NZ Food Network is now supporting more than half a million people every month, a 165 per cent increase since 2020. Cutting food bank funding now is cruel.”

“This Government is fuelling unemployment and has no plan to end the cost-of-living crisis it presides over. They are cutting benefits and now they are cutting food banks. They are pulling away the last supports people rely on at the exact moment they need them most.”

“They have found just $23,000 more for school breakfasts while more than a quarter of tamariki live in households where food runs out. That tells you everything about where this Government’s priorities sit.”

“Food banks shouldn’t need to exist. But while they do, there is no excuse for halving their funding,” says Davidson.