As the world marks International Food Waste Action Week, New Zealand puts leftovers on top!

As global attention turns to wasted food during International Food Waste Action Week (9–15 March 2026), Love Food Hate Waste NZ (LFHWNZ) is calling on Kiwis to tackle one of the country’s biggest climate and cost challenges – household food waste – by doing something simple: eating your leftovers.

Launching nationwide this March, the Leftover Legends Challenge invites New Zealanders to eat their leftovers for lunch the next day. Participants can log their leftover meals online for the chance to be crowned NZ’s Next Leftover Legend and win groceries for a year, thanks to Woolworths NZ.

Every year, Kiwi households send over 12,000 tonnes of leftovers to landfill – food that was once good enough to eat but never made it back to the plate.

While 96% of Kiwis claim to always or sometimes eat their leftovers, data from the Ministry for the Environment shows that not eating leftovers is one of the leading causes of household food waste, cited by 35% of people as their main reason and 52% as a key contributing factor.

Project Manager at Love Food Hate Waste, Sophie Wolland says, “Eating our leftovers is one of the simplest actions households can take to cut food waste and save money – when we get creative with what’s already cooked, even small portions can become tomorrow’s free lunch and an easy win for the planet.”

“Most of us don’t mean to waste food. We just forget what’s in the fridge or cook too much without thinking ahead. If everyone planned their leftovers into tomorrow’s lunch or dinner, we could save thousands of tonnes of food and make a real difference to our climate footprint.”

Household food waste costs New Zealanders an estimated $3 billion each year, with leftovers ranking among the most commonly wasted items – alongside fruit, vegetables and bread. Food and organic waste make up 9% of New Zealand’s biogenic methane emissions, a gas 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 20 years.

“Being intentional with leftovers isn’t just about saving money – it’s climate action made simple,” says Wolland

“This challenge proves climate action doesn’t always mean big sacrifices – sometimes it’s as easy as enjoying last night’s dinner again,” she adds.

The Leftover Legends Challenge is also being supported by businesses across Aotearoa, with organisations of all sizes getting involved as part of their sustainability goals. From workplaces encouraging staff to bring leftover lunches, to food businesses helping customers waste less, partners such as the newly launched Too Good To Go are backing the campaign – showing that saving food, at home and beyond, is one of the easiest climate actions we can take.

Kiwis keen to take part can visit lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz/leftoverlegends/ between 1–31 March 2026 to log their meals, save food, and help make New Zealand a nation of Leftover Legends.

ENDS

A global movement with a Kiwi twist

The 2026 International Food Waste Action Week theme, “Love Your Leftovers”, perfectly aligns with the New Zealand Leftover Legends Challenge. Coordinated globally by WRAP (UK), the week encourages practical action against food waste – something LFHWNZ has been championing since 2016.

“New Zealand has a long history of making do and getting creative,” says Wolland. “We’re reigniting that Kiwi ingenuity – making leftovers something to celebrate, not forget.”

How it works

1. Join the challenge — scan the QR code to log your plate of Leftovers.
2. Eat your leftovers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every save counts.
3. Watch the map light up – every plate saved is a chance to win!

Key Dates

• 2 March 2026 – Challenge launches nationwide
• 9–15 March 2026 – International Food Waste Action Week
• 31 March 2026 – Challenge ends
• April 2026 – Results and winner announced

Fast Facts

• $3 billion of edible food is wasted annually in NZ (2025 Rabobank NZ Food Waste Survey)
• $1,364 average annual cost of wasted food per household (2025 Rabobank NZ Food Waste Survey)
• 96% of Kiwis claim to always or sometimes eat their leftovers (Ministry for Environment 2025 Waste and Resource Efficiency – Behavioural Trend Monitoring Survey
• Not eating leftovers is a leading cause of household food waste. 35% cite as main reason, 52% a reason. (Ministry for Environment 2025 Waste and Resource Efficiency – Behavioural Trend Monitoring Survey)
• Kiwi households send over 12,000 tonnes of leftovers to landfill every year (LFHW NZ 2018 Bin Audits)
• 9% of NZ’s biogenic methane emissions and 4% of our total greenhouse gas emissions are from food and organic waste (MfE)