1.  Beginnings: late 1940s/early 1950s onwards

Old People's Welfare Council (1948) & Age Concern (1991 -  )

One of the first Meals on Wheels home-delivery services in New Zealand was provided by the Otago Old People’s Welfare Council. Following a public meeting held on 9 September 1948, the Council was set up and a team of volunteers provided information, a drop-in centre, and home support services including meals.  (See Age Concern Otago:  Our History which has a 1954 photograph of meals being delivered.)  Similar councils were set up elsewhere in NZ, and by February 1972 the National Old People's Welfare Council was incorporated, which became Age Concern New Zealand in 1991.  (See Age Concern - History).   

New Zealand Red Cross, June 1951 -

In June 1951, the Meals on Wheels programme was started by the North Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Red Cross, to support people in need during a gas, coal and electricity shortage. They began preparing soup and distributing it cold in milk bottles covered with cellophane with a Red Cross in the centre. (See New Zealand Red Cross: Meals on Wheels.)  

District Health Boards (1973) & Te Whata Ora - Health New Zealand (1 July 2022 - ) 

In 1973, the local District Health Boards (DHBs) across New Zealand took over the preparation and cooking of the meals from the Red Cross. Volunteers coordinated by groups, such as the New Zealand Red Cross and Age Concern, delivered the lunchtime meals of a main dish and dessert.   

From 1 July 2022, Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand took over responsibility from the DHBs for planning and commissioning hospital, primary and community health services. This role includes providing nutritional support to the community by making low-cost, home-delivered hot meals available to residents with disabilities or personal health needs. 

2.  Preparation

Initially, meals of soup and bread were prepared which were delivered in stainless steel plates and lids. In 1956, there was a shift from soups to preparing and delivering meals. Nowadays, Te Whatu Ora coordinates the meals being prepared by district health services, food service contractors, community health trusts or retirement villages. The New Zealand Red Cross has continued with coordinating volunteers to deliver the meals. For example, the Kerikeri Retirement Village cooks the meals delivered by the Red Cross. 

For current examples of menus and costs per meal, see Te Whatu Ora Waikato website  and the Hamilton YWCA Meal on Wheels Service.

3.  Delivery

Teams of volunteers coordinated by groups, such as the New Zealand Red Cross, deliver the lunchtime meals.  Over the years, volunteers have included individuals and organisations, such as local Rotary and Lions groups, and sporting bodies. The Pulse Energy Highlanders, for example, joined with Age Concern Otago in 2018 to help with delivery. 

Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Waikato website states:  "Meals are delivered hot Monday to Friday usually between 11.15am and 12noon by Red Cross volunteers. Frozen meals are available for the weekends and public holidays." 

To find out the contact details for accessing the Meals on Wheels service, see  Seniorline: Local services.

4.  Benefits

Delivering Meals on Wheels is seen as an useful and rewarding way to help the community. 

As stated by the New Zealand Red Cross:

Our meal delivery service helps provide a healthy meal every weekday to people all around Aotearoa New Zealand. We’ve got 2,700 volunteers out on the roads delivering hot lunches to people who have a disability or ongoing health problems that mean they have difficulty preparing a meal for themselves. We’ve been delivering Meals on Wheels since the 1950’s. More than a food delivery service, we provide regular social contact to our clients and an opportunity for someone to check that everything is OK.     (Source: New Zealand Red Cross: Get Meals on Wheels)

What started out as a simple act of kindness has become a movement that is a lifeline for so many people. It's more than just delivering food – it has paved the way for friendship and companionship for people who are often isolated and vulnerable.  (Source:  New Zealand Red Cross: Find a volunteer role)

To find out how to volunteer to become a Meals on Wheels driver and/or coordinator, see New Zealand Red Cross: Find a volunteer role.

5.  Alternatives to Meals on Wheels

Commercial organisations have begun offering ready-to-eat or easy-to-prepare meals for delivery for those who prefer an independent provider or do not qualify for Meals on Wheels. The meals can be refrigerated or frozen and reheated, or have recipes provided for cooking the supplied ingredients. The Eldernet website has a listing of providers throughout NZ.

For further information:

• Ministry of Health. (2012). NZ Meals on Wheels Service Specifications-Nationwide Service Framework. Library, URL: https://nsfl.health.govt.nz/system/files/measlonwheelst2nov2012.docx 
• New Zealand Government: Cooking and meals. URL: https://www.govt.nz/browse/health/help-in-your-home/cooking-and-meals/
• New Zealand Red Cross: Get Meals on Wheels, URL: https://www.redcross.org.nz/get-help/community-services/get-meals-on-wheels/
• Simko, M. D. & Babich, K. S. (1974). Home-delivered Meals: A Selected Annotated Bibliography. (U.S. Dept of Health, Education and Welfare) which includes references to NZ on pages 21-22. Extracts can be viewed on Google Books.
• Eldernet: Meals and nutrition

Articles listed on Index New Zealand include: 

• Barback, J. (2013, Aug/Sept). Keeping the wheels a-turning.  INsite (Wellington, N.Z.), (7) 6, 12-13. Looks at Meals on Wheels which started during the 1950s in NZ. Outlines current operations, changes  proposed by Health Benefits Limited, possible alternatives including  private companies Eat and Farmhouse Foods and the lack of social contact  from these compared to that provided by Meals on Wheels. Looks at community initiatives to combat social isolation faced by the elderly, including dining cafes and cooking classes.  
• Chadwick, S. (1966, Aug). Meals on wheels.  New Zealand Nursing Journal, 59 (8), 11.  Looks at a Diet Department study in Wanganui Hospital.
• Justin, G. L. (1993, 17 Feb). Auckland's oldest food haul is valued.  GP Weekly, p.25,  Describes Meals-on-Wheels in Auckland. Explains how menus are selected and monitored for nutritional value. 
• Leigh, J. (1987, 25 May). That all important knock on the door.  New Zealand Woman's Weekly, p. 18-19. Describes the meals-on-wheels scheme in Auckland and interviews a group of volunteer drivers.  
• Mclellan, B. (1995). Meals on wheels. Historical Journal (Otaki Historical Society), (18), 49.  Outlines the service from 1965-1995.   
• Smith, C. (2002, 15 May). Delivery drivers can relate many incidents; Home-delivered dinners; Meals on wheels at your service. Otago Daily Times, p.21, 23  Looks at the Dunedin meals on wheels service, noting the high level of organisation required and what it means for clients.  

(This DigitalNZ Story was updated in April 2023)