Kaibosh Volunteer Roles
Our Volunteer Roles
Our volunteer team is at the heart of our mahi at Kaibosh. Over 250 incredible people give their time weekly or fortnightly in our Kaibosh Volunteer Programme, to help us to deliver our vital service for communities.
Most roles and shifts are available across our three premises, aside from these roles at one or two locations only:
- Kitchen Support is based in our Pito-one/Lower Hutt and Kāpiti premises only
- Second Harvest roles are based with our Kāpiti-Horowhenua operation only
- Market Rescue support is based with our Pōneke/Wellington City operation only
Please note that all shifts require a good level of physical fitness and involve cleaning tasks.
Role Descriptions
Operation Support
(approx. 2 hours, weekday mornings)
Working alongside a Kaibosh staff member to support them with a variety of tasks onsite, including meeting and greeting our charity partners arriving to collect kai for their community, loading boxes of food into vehicles, cleaning the site and other ad-hoc warehouse tasks. This role requires a good level of physical fitness and regular lifting of boxes weighing upto 15kg.
Food Rescue Driver Support
(approx.. 3 hours, weekday mornings)*
Working alongside our Kaibosh driver, this is a shift for those who like to lift. Meet our Kaibosh driver at our site base, help load the van with empty crates, and be the helpful passenger traveling in our Kaibosh van to rescue food/kai from food donors around the area. Then travel back to base to help unload the crates full of kai, ready for the food sort team.
*Weekend shifts available in Pōneke/Wellington.
Food Sorting
(approx. 2 hours, weekday lunchtimes/early afternoons)*
As part of a medium to large food sort team, you’ll quality check our rescued kai/food sorting it into boxes for our community partners to pick up. This is a team collaborative shift, with every volunteer’s input helping us to do the mahi/work. From sorting good quality produce from moldy and other non-edible produce into banana boxes, allocating and recording boxes weight in our computer system, to the ever-important end of shift cleaning tasks. Everyone pitches in and the team vibes and laughs help the mahi/work happen.
*Weekend shifts available in Pōneke/Wellington on Saturday and Sunday 4/4.30-6/6.30pm.
Kitchen Support
(approx. 2- 3 hours, weekday mornings)
Help to prep, cook and bake kai from rescued food, that is good enough to cook but may not last long in food boxes/parcels for our community partners. Working in teams of 2-4, prepping and chopping vegetables and fruit, using your creativity and ideas to whip up delicious offerings for individuals and whanau supported by our community partners.
Second Harvest Sorting – Paraparaumu only
(approx. 2 hours, currently Thursdays at Kapiti-Horowhenua branch only).
As part of a small team of 2-3, quality check and pack into boxes produce donated from local farms for distribution across our three sites. This kai is then distributed to our community partners. Produce arrives in bulk, varies by season and includes potatoes and onions.
Market Rescue Support – Wellington only
(approx. 1-2 hours, Saturday and Sundays)
Working alongside our Kaibosh driver, this is a shift for those who like to lift. Meet our Kaibosh driver at our Hopper Street base or at the weekend market in Wellington. Support our Kaibosh driver to rescue food/kai from market stall holders as they finish for the day. This is a relatively fast-paced and dynamic shift.
Sparkle Squad
(approx. 1 hour, weekday early afternoons)
On your own or in a team of 2, working around the end of the Kaibosh Food Sorting shift team as they finish up, bring your eye for detail and energy, to make our warehouse sparkle and shine so it’s clean, safe and ready for the next day at Kaibosh.
This role involves:
- Sweeping and mopping floors and behind bins
- Cleaning surfaces and sinks
- Cleaning food crates
- Other ad hoc cleaning tasks as required
- From time to time, may involve some food sorting, allocating and weighing food if the regular food sorting team need extra support.
Applying to Volunteer
Kaibosh uses an online software called Volaby for our volunteer programme.
Please use this link to complete two steps:
- Create a Volaby login with your email address and a password
- In a new window please log into your Volaby account and complete the ‘Kaibosh Profile’. This is our application form.
We will be in touch via phone or email after we review your application. Privacy statement.
Kaibosh volunteers are asked to read and follow our Volunteer Agreement, which you can find here.
If you have questions or need support to complete your application, you can contact the Volunteer Programme team on the site-specific email addresses below:
Hutt Valley – Te Awa Kairangai
Kapiti & Horowhenua
Wellington City – Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Page content updated December 2025.