Some of the Hunt for Good volunteer team after receiving the Heart of the Community Award at the Western Bay Community Awards. Photo / Supplied

'The saving grace': Hunt for Good’s venison boom feeds thousands a month

Author: Steve Edwards,
Publish Date: Sun, 31 May 2026, 8:33am

The growth of a Bay of Plenty-based group providing food to the needy is extraordinary.

Hunt for Good has increased the output of its venison mince, made from wild deer culled from farms, by 10 tonnes in 18 months.

Founder Jasper Osborne said the non-profit was formed at the end of 2024, distributing four tonnes of venison mince to food banks and community groups in its first year.

“Now it’s up to 14 tonnes,” he said.

“It’s got pretty out of hand pretty fast.”

This equates to 94,000 servings a year for families in need.

The group’s work was recognised at the recent Western Bay Community Awards, with Hunt for Good winning the Heart of the Community Award.

A keen hunter, Osborne said Hunt for Good provided a win-win scenario for all concerned.

“It helps out farmers by culling a native bush and pasture pest [deer], which is returned to the urban community as meals.”

Weekend hunting

Monthly weekend hunting missions on farms each bring in about 150 deer.

With divisions in the Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatū-Wanganui and South Waikato, Hunt for Good has 70 to 80 volunteers to call on.

These include hunters, those who help break down carcasses on-farm and people who provide transport.

In the Bay of Plenty, the meat is taken to Hunt for Good’s Tauranga base, cut and minced by volunteer butchers, then packaged and sent to a blast chiller in Mount Maunganui to await collection and distribution.

For Osbourne, the most rewarding part of Hunt for Good is sharing community feedback with his volunteer hunters.

“It’s pretty cool being able to tell the guys the stories that come back from the groups we support,” he said.

“They all love doing it. For a lot of the team, it’s also about taking a break from busy, stressful lives.

“Spending time out in the bush together does wonders for our mental health and knowing it’s helping people makes it even better.”

Key partner

A key partner in Hunt for Good’s Bay of Plenty programme is the Tauranga Community Foodbank.

“They [Hunt for Good] are the saving grace for the community,” foodbank general manager Nicki Goodwin said.

“They have a special place in our heart.”

She said the foodbank was the biggest user of venison mince in the Bay of Plenty, contributing to more than 20,000 meals a month.

The foodbank also organises distribution.

Goodwin said the packaged product was picked up from the chilling facility at Mount Maunganui and “entrusted” to the foodbank from there.

Meals are sent out to community organisations, including Kura Kai supporting its Meals in Schools programme; Tauranga-based Good Neighbour, which offers various services to those in need; Under the Stars, which helps the homeless, and the Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul.

Tauranga Community Foodbank also distributes Hunt for Good meals to its counterparts in Katikati and Te Puke.

“The more venison that is provided, the further it can go in the community,” Goodwin said.

“It is good quality food, and we have a secure supply.”

For recipients at the foodbank, she said, there was a moment of disbelief.

“It’s a complete turnaround for themselves.”

Goodwin said the foodbank would also love to receive donations of cattle from local farmers.

Instead of sending stock off to a meat works, the farmer and the foodbank choose a home kill butcher, with the foodbank paying for the slaughtering and processing.

Based in Brook St, Parkvale, the foodbank operates on a referral basis with a variety of community agencies.