A social supermarket in Tauranga is proving to be a popular resource for the community.

SunLive met with Otūmoetai Social Supermarket co-founders John and Jackie Paine in the garden on a sunny Thursday to share valuable lessons with the community.

“We’re always focusing on trying to solve the problem,” John Paine said.

“So we are trying to teach people to grow their food.”

The social supermarket opened its doors two years ago, he said, hoping to be the service that stops people from going over the cliffs and plummeting on to the rocks of poverty.

The Paines didn’t know exactly what the community needed when they opened.

However, by actively listening and analysing demographics, they identified key needs and took action to address them.

Co-founder John Paine says the role of the social supermarket is to be a provider at the top of the cliff. Photo / Tom Eley

“The Tauranga City Council did a survey, and 30 to 40% of people have no savings,” he said.

“So whenever something happens, people have no back-up.”

Since opening their doors in November 2022, they had helped hundreds of families and provided relief for families looking for a hand up, Jackie Paine said.

“Our No 1 best seller is fresh produce because we can do it at an excellent price. And you can take a whole bag for a point,” she said.

The points system at Otūmoetai Social Supermarket. Photo / Tom Eley

The supermarket is near nine schools and 24 early childhood centres and collaborates with education providers to understand family needs in the area.

Due to her educational background, Paine knows what can happen if families do not get the support they need.

“They just need a little bit of hand to get over a hump and keep going.”

She wants to see the supermarket close its doors and achieve its mission of “actually solving a problem, not just meeting a need”.

A big part of what they did with the social supermarket was connecting these struggling families with financial mentoring to teach them to save what they could, she said.

“Because even if you’re saving $5 a week, you’re going to get to a place where hopefully you won’t need us again.

“That’s our real aim.”

She said the shop was open Monday to Friday and was full most days, but they wanted to try to reduce the number of people accessing their service.

“We’ve budgeted for 50 shoppers a week over that. We need to bring that back.”

The shop resembles a Four Square with dedicated aisles set up for shoppers. Everything carries a price and no food is given away free.

“It’s more dignified for the customers,” she said.

The Paines are also supported by co-founder Lavina Good, who saw a need for a social supermarket in Tauranga and helped establish it.

“We found, like a low-cost model, which people could shop with dignity and shop with pride,” Good said.