Read the Bellyful 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Bellyful NZ’s Chief Executive Sheena Revington says the plan, titled Shaping Our Future, was developed through extensive engagement with volunteers, meal recipients, referrers, funders, and community supporters.
“One of my first tasks as CE has been refreshing the Bellyful Strategy. We’ve focused on building from our strengths and listening closely to our communities to help guide us into the future,” says Revington. “This mahi included surveys, workshops, and drop-in sessions across the country.”
Celebrating 15 years of service and the delivery of over 250,000 meals, Bellyful continues to serve families with babies and young children who are without a support network – offering practical help at times of stress, illness, or isolation.
The new strategy sets out clear priorities across three key pillars: People, Sustainability, and Social Impact. These priorities include investing in volunteer leadership, improving operational efficiency, and strengthening Bellyful’s ability to demonstrate and deepen its impact.
“While we have so much to celebrate, we know times are tough,” Revington adds. “The demand for support keeps rising, which makes our mission more important than ever. Our strategy refresh is all about making sure Bellyful stays relevant and meets the needs of our communities for the years ahead.”
Key initiatives include:
- Expanding training and wellbeing support for volunteers;
- Streamlining systems to reduce admin and improve consistency;
- Exploring new ways to reach more families, including community partnerships;
- Strengthening financial sustainability to support growing community needs.
The strategy also brings a refreshed vision, mission, and values that reflect the heart of Bellyful’s mahi: nourished whānau, connected communities, underpinned by manaakitanga, aroha, and whanaungatanga.
“We’ve updated our vision, mission, and values – not to change what we do, but to better reflect how we do it,” Revington says. “You’ll see our focus on bringing volunteers together to nourish whānau, and I hope our values capture the warmth and aroha that make the Bellyful whānau so special.”
With the Shaping Our Future plan now in place, Bellyful is poised to continue its vital work with renewed clarity, purpose, and resilience.
