Meet The Need

What Meet The Need does

Meet The Need is a registered New Zealand charity (CC57480) founded in 2020 by farmers Siobhan O'Malley and Wayne Langford, originally as 'Meat the Need' and rebranded to its current name in February 2025. The organization operates a logistics and partnership platform that channels donated protein from New Zealand's farming communities to food banks and community organizations. Its core activities are three donation programs — livestock (cattle, deer, lamb, mutton) processed by partner meat processors into mince; milk processed by partner dairy processors; and cash donations converted to protein meals — supplemented by emerging pork and chicken donation streams. The charity claims 4+ million cumulative mince and milk meals delivered since 2020, including 1.19 million in the April 2024-March 2025 reporting period.

Operationally, Meet The Need does not produce, manufacture, or sell any product. Its proprietary asset is a relational platform: donation mechanics (e.g., deductions from farmer cull sheets), processor partnerships with Silver Fern Farms, Fonterra, Miraka, and Inghams, a 24-person volunteer Champion network across New Zealand, and a recipient network of 130+ food banks with another 150+ on a waitlist. The charity is staffed by approximately 12 full-time employees (General Manager, Stakeholder Liaison, Marketing & Communications, Key Accounts, Accounts, Designer) plus the volunteer Champions, with Zellara Holden as General Manager since October 2023 and Nick Fisher as Board Chair. Revenue is 100% donation-based: livestock, milk, cash, and corporate sponsorship at tiers from Protein Supporter through Diamond (Rabobank, Pāmu/Landcorp, FarmRight are Diamond/founding partners).

The charity runs a community-led, event-driven go-to-market model combining field engagement with farmers, rural industry events (The Big Feed telethon, Dairy Women's Network Long Lunches, Driving Change Golf Days), campaigns with corporate partners (Elanco Prolaject, Case IH tractor sales), and multi-channel communications (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, e-newsletter, rural media). Distribution is single-country domestic — direct from processors through logistics partners (including NZ Food Network) to food banks, with no retail or commercial intermediation. Notable recent partnerships include All Within My Hands (Metallica's foundation) and CNH Industrial.

Name

Meet The Need

Legal name

Meat the Need

Website

https://meettheneed.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Meet The Need is a New Zealand registered charity connecting farmer-donated livestock, milk, and cash to 130+ food banks. Founded in 2020 and rebranded in 2025, it has delivered over 4 million protein meals through processor partnerships with Silver Fern Farms, Fonterra, Miraka, and Inghams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donated Livestock: Farmers donate livestock (cattle, sheep, deer, pigs) which is processed by partner processors and distributed as mince to food banks. Donors receive tax benefits through deduction from cull sheets. Farmers can donate whole animals or portions.
2. Donated Milk: Dairy farmers donate milk which is processed and distributed to food banks. Donation platform available at donatemilk.meettheneed.org.nz.
3. Cash Donations: Individual, corporate, and organization cash donations converted into mince and milk meals for food banks. Options include online donations, text-to-give (text 'feed' to 3493 for $3), and event fundraising.
4. Corporate Sponsorship: Business sponsors provide financial support at various tiers (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Protein Supporter) with marketing benefits and cause alignment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Meet The Need is a New Zealand registered charity that collects donated livestock (cattle, deer, lamb, mutton), milk, and cash from farmers and converts them into mince and milk meals distributed to food banks and community organizations. It coordinates the full farmer-to-foodbank supply chain through partnerships with meat and dairy processors and delivers regular protein donations to 110+ recipient organizations across New Zealand.

Product overview

Meet The Need is a farmer-founded charity operating a unified food donation platform that connects quality nutritious protein from New Zealand farming communities to food banks and community organizations. The core offerings include livestock donation (cattle, deer, lamb, mutton converted to mince), milk donation, cash donations for protein meals, and partnerships for additional protein sources (pork, chicken). The organization evolved from 'Meat the Need' (founded 2020) to 'Meet the Need' (2025) to reflect expanded scope beyond meat to all food protein donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feed Out: Sister initiative that expanded the reach of food support, particularly for milk donations alongside the core meat donation program.

Products and services

• Livestock Donation Program
• Milk Donation Program
• Cash Donation Program
• Pork Donation (Patoa Farms Partnership)
• Chicken Donation (Inghams Partnership)
• Volunteer Champion Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 4+ million meals delivered since 2020
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Elanco Animal HealthcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 July 2026Continuing partnership through Prolaject campaign (July-September 2026). Elanco donates $5 to Meet the Need for every Prolaject pack purchased, with goal of raising up to $50,000 for 20,000 meals.
• Harrison FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026South Canterbury dairy farmers donating 5% of proceeds from first-ever Dairy Genetic Sale to Meet the Need and Leukaemia & Blood Cancer NZ.
• InghamscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025New partnership with NZ's largest integrated poultry producer to add chicken to the protein offerings alongside milk and mince.
• All Within My Hands (AWMH)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025Metallica's charitable foundation partnered for food packing volunteer event at NZ Food Network warehouse. 50 volunteers packed 1,022 food parcels (12.8 tonnes) including Metallica fans from USA.
• Case IHcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 May 2025Agricultural equipment partner. $50 donated from every new Case IH tractor sold in New Zealand to Meet the Need. Includes tractor donations and fundraising by Case IH team.
• Patoa FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2024North Canterbury pig farm donating one pig weekly, supplying pork mince to regional food banks.
• NZPorkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2024Celebrated 50th anniversary by donating meat from 50 pigs (600kg, ~3,500 servings). Working to establish direct donation system for pig farmers.
• Green Meadows BeefcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 May 2024Premium grass-fed beef brand supplying 5,200 meat meals annually including meatballs, patties, and sausages. Partnership enables expansion to Taranaki region food banks.
• ANZCO FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 December 2023Donated 13 tonnes of mince (104,000 meals) during The Big Feed telethon - one tonne for every landmark on The Hickey Tour.
• Southern PasturesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2023Donated 400kg of Lewis Road Creamery milk powder to Christchurch City Mission.
• Z EnergyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 September 2023Selected for Good in the Hood campaign at 20 Z Energy stores. Customer tokens converted to mince meal donations.
• Silver Fern FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary processing partner for livestock donations. Silver Fern Farms processes donated animals into mince for distribution to food banks. The partnership includes staff involvement and executive support.
• FonterracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor dairy processor partner facilitating milk donations. Fonterra farmers contribute milk donations; Fonterra processes and donates dairy products. Regional Head Mat Cullen has publicly supported the initiative.
• MirakacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMāori-owned dairy processor partner supporting milk donations to the charity.
• CNH IndustrialcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerParent company of Case IH, nominated Meet the Need as Metallica's official charity partner for AWMH New Zealand activation.
• New Zealand Food NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistribution partner hosting volunteer events and distributing food parcels nationwide through Food Hubs.
• Craigmore SustainablescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarming company donating 45,000+ meals over three years. Manages 25,000+ hectares across dairy, grazing, forestry, and horticulture properties.
• Dairy Women's NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative partner for Long Lunch events across Canterbury, Waikato, and Taranaki regions.
• NZ Young FarmersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLincoln Young Farmers chapter raised $3,000 through Bark Up event.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: Largest US hunger-relief organization with a national network of 200+ food banks sourcing donated food for redistribution. Comparable national-scale food-aggregation and redistribution architecture, though significantly larger and US-focused.
• The Salvation Army New Zealand: Large established NZ charity with food parcel programmes, social services, and nationwide donor infrastructure. Comparable in addressing food insecurity but operates a broader social services portfolio rather than specializing in farmer-donated protein like Meet The Need.

Regional players

• OzHarvest: Australia's leading food rescue charity collecting surplus food from producers and redistributing to charities. Comparable donation-aggregation and food-redistribution model, but operates in Australia rather than NZ and primarily rescues cooked/unused food rather than farm-level protein.
• Trussell Trust: UK-wide network of food banks providing emergency food parcels to people in crisis. Comparable food-distribution-to-vulnerable-populations model, but operates across the UK rather than NZ.
• Foodbank Australia: Australia's largest food-relief organization, sourcing donated food from producers and manufacturers and distributing to a national network of charities. Comparable national food-aggregation and redistribution model, but Australia-based and not a direct geographic competitor.
• Second Harvest: Canada's largest food rescue organization, rescuing surplus food and delivering to charities and food banks. Comparable mission and food-redistribution business model, but operates in Canada and does not overlap geographically with Meet The Need.

Direct peers

• Christchurch City Mission: NZ food charity that distributes monthly food parcels to families in need. Mission and beneficiary base align with Meet The Need; also a current recipient customer receiving mince and milk deliveries.
• New Zealand Food Network: National NZ food rescue and redistribution organization that distributes surplus food to foodbanks and community organizations. Directly comparable to Meet The Need — both aggregate donated food and route it through Food Hubs to recipients facing food insecurity, and the two organizations already partner operationally.
• Auckland City Mission: Major NZ food charity operating social supermarkets and food programmes in Auckland. Comparable in mission (feeding food-insecure populations) and target beneficiaries; serves as a relevant peer for charitable food-distribution model benchmarking in NZ.
• Wellington City Mission: NZ charitable organization operating social services including food distribution via social supermarket. Comparable mission and target population as Meet The Need (food-insecure NZ families), and is also a current recipient customer receiving regular mince pack deliveries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MeetTheNeedNZ
• YouTubeyoutube.com/meettheneednz
• Facebookfacebook.com/MeetTheNeedNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/meat-the-need-nz
• Instagraminstagram.com/meettheneednz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Meet The Need