The threat of closure because of a large offshore company would stop many businesses from fighting on, but not so for the mahi of Koha Kai.
Last year, the charitable trust that supports Southland disabled and vulnerable people lost its school lunch contract with the Ministry of Education.
Koha Kai pouārahi (chief executive) and founder Janice Lee said there were a lot of moving parts moving into 2025.
"Certainly the loss of such a significant part of our income through the redirection of the Lunches in Schools contract to such a large, multinational offshore company like Compass has been a really difficult pill to swallow," she said.
"But the reality is, the income generated through the Ka Ora Ka Ako programme was always going to end up supporting our impact for the Murihiku community, and the reverberations from our community have made it clear that the loss of Koha Kai would have serious implications to the people we work with and for."
The government's school lunch initiative, spearheaded by Act leader David Seymour, announced a new centralised system in which catering titan Compass Group, was awarded the contract for the provision of school lunches at $3 a head to 150,000 rangatahi nationwide.
Koha Kai was one of 70 smaller providers who lost their kura (school) lunch contracts.
"At this stage it is our intention to continue on, and seek community funding if we can while we develop further strategies and community partnerships to support our long-term sustainability plan," Ms Lee said.
Invercargill's Te Wharekura O Arowhenua School students were beneficiaries of Koha Kai lunches.
Principal Gary Davis said the school was "pretty sad" to lose the local service.
"It is a kaupapa that is very dear to us, it centres on the wellbeing of the community and unfortunately it is going to be a loss to us," he said.
Ms Lee said "vulnerable people right across Murihiku from Te Anau to Wyndham" were reliant on their services, and it would be "catastrophic" for some of those remote rural communities if Koha Kai was no longer able to support them.
"We are not likely to go quietly into the ether. Too much wahine toa for that.
"Koha Kai e u ana ki to tatou hapori, Koha Kai is committed to our community.
"Mo o tatou tangata haua, mo o tatou kaumātua, me o tatou rangatahi, for our disabled, our elderly and for our rangatahi."
