Overview
1/5
Context
Rising grocery prices in New Zealand pushed many families—some for the first time—into facing food insecurity. Yet reaching out for help can be difficult due to stigma, shame, or a lack of local visibility around support options. At the same time, thousands of tonnes of surplus produce were going to waste.
Problem
People facing food insecurity often feel isolated or hesitant to seek support. Meanwhile, those with surplus produce lack an easy, stigma-free way to share what they have. There’s a disconnect between people with food to give and people who need it.
Solution
Nourish Network is a community-powered platform that connects people through surplus food redistribution. It allows individuals—including farmers—to become distributors of extra produce, while making it easy for others to locate nearby drop-off points through a simple postcode-based system. The platform is supported by friendly, stigma-free design and a local awareness campaign to grow the network.
Impact
Initial research and empathy interviews highlighted the importance of simplicity and dignity in the experience. A key insight—removing judgment from the process—informed both the messaging and UX. By creating an accessible website and supporting print/social rollout, Nourish Network sets the groundwork for real community-driven impact and scalable growth across Aotearoa.
Background
2/5
Recently New Zealand grocery prices were skyrocketing. This meant a lot more people who hadn't experienced food insecurity were having to reach out for support, but reaching out can be a lot harder than it sounds due to social stigmas and feelings of failure.
This inspired the creation of Nourish Network, an enterprise whose aim is to bring the community together to create a network of people, including farmers, who have surplus vegetables, eggs, milk, and other produce to distribute for people to collect from.
Research
3/5
Beginning with research, I looked into some stats and figures to get an idea of the pain points Kiwi's are facing. Some of the key insights I found were that 17% of 12-year-olds in New Zealand live in homes with moderate to severe food insecurity. Secondly, recently fruit and vege prices increased by over 22%. Finally, New Zealand's yearly food waste produces over 409,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions.
I conducted some empathy interviews to better understand locals opinions and pain points were with food insecurity in NZ.
1
"Not only food insecurity but the physical and mental toll that food insecurity can have is very taxing"
2
"Make the process of recieving food something which is dignified, positive not negative"
3
"People waste a lot of food when that food can still be used or turned into something else instead of going to landfill"
Based on research insights, I created two personas: one representing individuals with surplus produce and another facing food insecurity. To better understand their needs and behaviours, I mapped user journeys showing how each would discover and interact with Nourish Network across key touch points.
Design
4/5
A logo and submark were designed, with a flower form representing growth and nurturing of the community.
Summary
5/5
Key Learnings
Designing with dignity and inclusion in mind helps remove social barriers and build trust—language, layout, and tone all play a role in reducing stigma.
Grounding decisions in empathy interviews and lived experience helps with discovering pain points that would not have been identified through secondary research alone.
Simplicity in UX matters—clear paths for both distributers and receivers created a dual-flow system that felt approachable and functional for different user goals.
Visual identity can reinforce mission—soft, earthy tones and organic shapes helped frame the platform as community-first rather than corporate.