Kai Coordinator

Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers; Tauranga; On-site; NZD 20,000 - 27,000; Part time

Job summary

Good Neighbour is seeking a Kai Coordinator in Tauranga to lead a large volunteer team, oversee meal production and event catering, and ensure safety and quality across every meal.

You will plan menus, coordinate logistics, mentor volunteers, and partner with other teams to scale our community meals to around 25,000 each year. This hands-on leadership role suits someone who thrives in a busy kitchen and is passionate about community mahi.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a team in a kitchen, catering or events setting.
• Strong organisational and logistical coordination skills.
• Knowledge of food safety practices and related certification preferred.
• Current driver’s licence is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Good Neighbour Kitchen team including volunteers and staff.
• Plan meal production, menus and production schedules.
• Coordinate catering logistics for events and fundraising.
• Maintain high standards of food safety, quality and presentation.

Skills

Team leadership

People management

Planning & organising

Communication

Job description

Join the Good Neighbour Team as our Kai Coordinator

Lead a team. Create thousands of meals. Bring people together through food.

At Good Neighbour, we believe food is about so much more than what is on the plate. It is about dignity, connection, generosity and community.

Every year, our Good Neighbour Kai team creates around 25,000 meals for people in our community, turning rescued food and donated ingredients into nourishing meals for people who need them most. Alongside this, we provide catering for fundraising events and other Good Neighbour activities that bring our community together.

We are looking for an exceptional Kai Coordinator to lead this mahi.

This is a role for someone who thrives in a busy environment, loves people, knows their way around a kitchen, and gets genuine satisfaction from making things happen. Someone who can look at a room full of people, a mountain of ingredients, five things that need to happen at once and a deadline approaching... and think, "We've got this."

You will bring energy, organisation, leadership and a genuine passion for community mahi.

Most importantly, you will be someone who lives "We before I. Us before me."

About the Role

As our Kai Coordinator, you will lead and coordinate the Good Neighbour Kitchen team, ensuring our community meal programme runs smoothly, efficiently and to a consistently high standard. On a Wednesday you will also be the supervisor of the food rescue team in case they need support!

You will be responsible for coordinating a large team of staff and volunteers, planning meal production, managing catering logistics and ensuring every meal that leaves our kitchen is something we can be proud of.

You will also oversee catering requirements for Good Neighbour fundraising events and other special occasions, bringing your event catering experience and ability to make complex logistics look easy.

This is a hands‑on role, but it is also a leadership role. You'll need to be just as comfortable rolling up your sleeves in the kitchen as you are planning ahead, coordinating people, solving problems and thinking strategically about where Good Neighbour Kai is heading.

No two days will be the same.

You will be a person who understands the art of working and co‑ordinating a team to make the operations of this community initiative happen. The leadership of the team is how you will get everything done! Good Neighbour is all about creating opportunities for the people of the city to come together to make a difference. We are looking for a leader not a doer.

What You’ll Be Doing

Leading the Community Meals & Team

You’ll provide leadership and direction to a large team of volunteers by:

Creating a positive, energetic and welcoming team environment.

Coordinating people effectively across meal production and catering activities.

Providing clear direction, support and encouragement to staff and volunteers.

Building a culture where people enjoy coming to work and know their contribution matters.

Leading by example and being willing to get stuck in wherever needed.

Developing people and helping team members grow in confidence and capability.

Working strategically with the team and systems development to achieve the 25,000 community meals every year.

To ensure the daily volunteer lunch is always organised and the team know what to do to make it happen.

Planning menus and production schedules around available resources and community need.

Working strategically with available food and ingredients to create nutritious, appealing meals.

Maintaining high standards of food quality, presentation and consistency.

Event Catering & Logistics

You’ll work with our key catering volunteers who bring event catering to life for Good Neighbour!

This includes

Working with event organisers and the Good Neighbour team to ensure everything is aligned.

Managing the logistics of getting food where it needs to be, when it needs to be there.

Supporting the volunteer catering team where needed.

Thinking ahead and solving problems before they become problems.

Quality, Safety & Standards

You’ll take ownership of maintaining high standards across the Kai operation by:

Ensuring food is prepared, stored and handled safely and appropriately.

Maintaining strong food safety and hygiene practices.

Ensuring consistent quality across meals and catering.

Monitoring kitchen systems, equipment and supplies.

Identifying risks and putting practical solutions in place.

Ensuring staff and volunteers understand and follow appropriate procedures.

Thinking Bigger

This isn’t just a role about getting today’s meals out the door.

You’ll also contribute to the ongoing development of Good Neighbour Kai by:

Looking for ways to improve efficiency, capacity and quality.

Developing systems that enable the team to grow sustainably.

Identifying opportunities to make better use of rescued and donated food.

Thinking strategically about how Kai can continue to increase its impact.

Working collaboratively with other Good Neighbour departments and leadership.

Bringing ideas, initiative and a willingness to try new things.

What We’re Looking For

You know how to bring people with you.

You are someone who:

Has proven experience leading a team, ideally in a fast‑paced environment.

Naturally brings energy, enthusiasm and positivity.

Gives clear direction while making people feel valued and included.

Is confident making decisions and taking responsibility.

Can motivate a diverse team of staff and volunteers.

Leads by example and isn’t afraid to get stuck in.

Understands that great teams are built on trust, respect and a shared purpose.

A High Capacity Organiser

Coordinate lots of moving parts without losing sight of the bigger picture.

Prioritise when everything feels important.

Plan ahead while remaining flexible when things change.

Keep calm when the pressure is on.

Anticipate what needs to happen next.

Move between strategic thinking and practical problem solving with ease.

Get things done.

A Catering & Food Person

You have genuine experience and confidence in a kitchen environment.

You’ll ideally bring:

Professional catering, commercial kitchen or food production experience.

Strong cooking and food preparation skills.

Experience planning and delivering catering for groups or events.

A strong understanding of food safety and hygiene.

A good eye for quality, presentation and consistency.

An understanding of how to work efficiently with food, people and resources.

A People Person

This role is all about people.

You are someone who:

Is warm, approachable and genuinely enjoys being around people.

Makes people feel welcome and part of the team.

Communicates clearly and positively.

Brings enthusiasm into the room.

Is the kind of person people naturally want to work alongside.

We’re looking for someone who genuinely believes that the best things happen when people work together.

You will:

Put the team ahead of yourself.

Celebrate the contribution of others.

Be generous with your time, knowledge and encouragement.

Work collaboratively across the organisation.

Care deeply about the people and community we serve.

Bring a "how can we make this work?" attitude.

Be someone who contributes to the culture, not just the task.

Qualifications & Experience

You’ll ideally have:

Proven experience leading a team.

Experience in commercial catering, event catering, hospitality or food production.

Strong organisational and logistical coordination skills.

Experience working with volunteers would be an advantage.

Food safety knowledge and relevant certification would be an advantage.

A current driver’s licence.

More than qualifications, we’re looking for someone who can lead, organise, cook, connect and make things happen.

Why Join Good Neighbour?

Your Work Will Feed Your Community

Every year, you’ll help lead the team who are creating around 25,000 meals for people in our community. What you do will have a direct and tangible impact on people’s lives.

People Are at the Heart of What We Do

You’ll work alongside a passionate team of staff and volunteers who genuinely care about making a difference.

Every Day Is Different

From community meals to fundraising events, rescued food to catering jobs, there is always something happening.

Bring Your Ideas

Good Neighbour is growing, and we want people who aren’t afraid to think differently, improve things and help us do more.

Be Part of Something Bigger

You’ll be joining an organisation where food is just one part of a much bigger kaupapa of bringing people together, meeting practical need and creating a stronger community.

Position: Good Neighbour Kai Coordinator
Location: 39 Burrows Street, Tauranga
Hours: 15 hours - Tuesday to Thursday
Employment: Permanent Part Time

Ready to Get Stuck In?

If you’re an experienced leader, a great organiser, love catering and genuinely love people, we’d love to hear from you.

If the idea of leading a team to create 25,000 meals a year, catering amazing events, solving logistical challenges and doing meaningful mahi in your community sounds like your kind of thing, this could be the role for you.

We’re looking for someone who doesn’t just want a job.

We want someone who wants to be part of the Good Neighbour team.