Tree · Māngere, Auckland, New Zealand
Kai Ika Project
Fish heads and frames that would be dumped, shared free with whānau across South Auckland
Shine Sunlight to follow their work and see how it grows.
Since 2016Works nationallyTāmaki Makaurau
Since September 2016 the Kai Ika Project has collected fish heads, frames and offal from recreational fishers and filleting services and given them free to families and community groups, with Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae whānau doing the collection and redistribution. It reports 740,000 kg of fish parts repurposed, 3,830 pick-ups and 8,236 volunteer hours, with hubs in Auckland, Wellington (2022) and Hawke's Bay (2024). Free distributions run Wednesdays and Fridays at Māngere Centre Park, and offal that is not eaten goes to marae gardens.
Founding partners are the Outboard Boating Club of Auckland, Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae, LegaSea and the NZ Sport Fishing Council. It funds itself partly through koha and a Cans for Kai aluminium recycling scheme, and in 2026 RNZ reported rising demand for its free fish heads in South Auckland.