Healthy Families Rotorua congratulates Ka Pai Kai Rotorua for its double success in the 2021 Tompkins Wake Rotorua Business Awards this month.

Ka Pai Kai Rotorua received the Ministry of Social Development: Not for Profit & Social Enterprise Award and the NZME: People’s Choice Award.

Ka Pai Kai Rotorua’s mission is to nourish the minds of the future generation by making healthy and delicious school lunches.

Healthy Families Rotorua manager, Jenny Kaka-Scott, says the business awards recognise Ka Pai Kai Rotorua as a successful social enterprise.

“We know through our work in kai security and kai sovereignty across the community, that they’ve made such a difference to so many people, especially whānau,” says Jenny.

Ka Pai Kai Rotorua had its early beginnings as a kai and nutrition kaupapa inside Healthy Families Rotorua, following a concerning national obesity report. Jenny says her team continues to follow the good work it does in the community, including its progress and success.

“Healthy Families NZ works with the community, who will then lead and drive the kaupapa. Healthy Families then becomes ‘biodegradable’. So, no longer visible in the kaupapa but certainly an incubator of these kinds of really cool ideas.

“We’ll always have an interest in what Ka Pai Kai Rotorua is up to and we just wanted to wish them every success,” she says.

Ka Pai Kai Rotorua general manager, Joe Dorset, says he is very proud of his team and the recognition received from their peers and community.

“The People’s Choice Award came as a surprise because it’s the public voting. We never thought we could compete with the larger businesses in our category who have multiple members. To have that support from the community was awesome.

“The Social Enterprise Charity Award was recognition of where we came from with our volunteers. This was a legitimate charity when we started, which relied on good people and people’s good intentions. So, to have them recognised has been really awesome too. We’re so very proud,” says Joe.