Hospitality Business Magazine

Culinary supergroup prepares 4-course black tie fundraiser with rescued food

Aotearoa’s largest food rescue organisation, KiwiHarvest, is bringing back The Goodness Gala with esteemed guests to raise funding for the charity’s operations and help them to feed an estimated 170,000 Kiwis experiencing food insecurity.

Launched as the KiwiHarvest Collective earlier this year, culinary supergroup, Peter Gordon, Michael Meredith, Brent Martin, Kylee Newton and Alfie Ingham will be designing and preparing the stunning 4-course menu, including high quality ingredients diverted from landfill and rescued by KiwiHarvest for this fabulous black-tie event.

Tickets are available in limited numbers here – so get in quick to secure your spot.

To be held on Saturday 26th August at the luxury 5-star Park Hyatt Auckland overlooking the Viaduct Harbour, the chefs will demonstrate how rescued food can be turned into culinary masterpieces, and generate support to keep KiwiHarvest’s wheels spinning in the fight against food waste.

With a repertoire of highly acclaimed restaurants under his belt, including Homeland, The Sugar Club, and The Providores & Tapa Room, Peter Gordon is excited to add the Goodness Gala to his portfolio.

“For a collective of chefs working to highlight and address the problem of food waste, designing this menu using rescued food was the perfect way to walk the talk – it’s what we are all about. Importantly, this will help KiwiHarvest to raise awareness of how urgent our food waste and food insecurity crises currently are, and hopefully empower everyone in the room to stand up and make a difference.”

Attendees will also be treated to an exclusive panel featuring three members of Rugby Royalty. Former Rhodes scholar, All Black and Rugby World Cup winning captain, business-leader and chair of KiwiHarvest, David Kirk, will be leading a conversation with Nick Farr-Jones who captained the Wallabies to win the 1991 Rugby World Cup, and Sarah Hirini, Black Ferns captain and part of the Black Ferns World Cup winning team in 2022 — on the eve of the 2023 Rugby World Cup!

“This cause is extremely close to my heart and I am thrilled to be part of such a meaningful event with a real, tangible goal of nourishing those who are doing it tough. I’m excited by the prospect of having so many unique voices together in the room, and am delighted to have Nick and Sarah by my side to explore their own stories and what led them to where they are today,” says Kirk.

Cost of living bites for our most vulnerable families

Amidst the rising cost of living and heavily reduced government funding, the Goodness Gala is KiwiHarvest’s opportunity to generate support so they can continue serving their 225 recipient agencies nationwide.

KiwiHarvest CEO Angela Calver, says, “The food rescue sector finds itself with less and less means to help the communities who rely on us, yet demand continues to skyrocket. Our sister organisation, the New Zealand Food Network surveyed its recipients (KiwiHarvest included) and found that since Covid hit, the surge in demand for food support has grown by 165% with the cost of living crisis cited as the top reason.”

“The whole team are so excited to bring this gala to life, not only so we can continue collecting good food before it goes to waste and delivering it to those in need, but so we can give guests an evening they’ll never forget,” says Calver.

The proceeds from each ticket sold will enable KiwiHarvest to deliver 1,000 meals. Diners will also be treated to live music, a live auction with the chance to bid on a range of luxury items (with a virtual counterpart if you’re unable to attend), and a sprinkle of magic.

Come along and be part of the solution: book your tickets here now

Where and when:

Saturday 26 August 2023

6:00-10:00 pm

The Harbour Room at the Park Hyatt,

Wynyard Quarter

Tickets cost $350 + GST per person and includes a four course menu with wine matches and pre-dinner bubbles.