Lay summary
July 2020 marked a milestone for the Common Unity Project Aotearoa. They had given 60,000 meals in 6 years to their Te Awa Kairangi community. Working alongside Kokiri Marae, close to 20,000 of those meals were prepared and distributed during the COVID-19 lockdown, the 3 months from April-June 2020. Engaging with community, we will review the emergent food network that formed around Common Unity as they received and redistributed resources and connected kai and aroha to food-insecure whānau and households. Identifying the different pathways kai came to the network, documenting the agile response from Common Unity, and evaluating the impact of these processes and actions on the wider community will provide the knowledge base and guidance for community preparedness in future pandemics. A plan and framework will be created to assist our community, and others, negotiate disrupted food supplies and ensure kai for all in a time of crisis.