Our vision
A world where all work is valued and respected, everyone is paid fairly, and no one is living in poverty.
Mission
We’ve started with kinder cleaning. Our mission is to make cleaning a valued and respected profession by paying our staff a living wage, giving them wraparound support and seeking out opportunities for learning and development.
Values
We're proud of what we do
Cleaning is a meticulous and physical job, and we love it! We take pride in our work and nothing compares to the satisfaction we get when our customers see the difference it makes.
We invest in the under-represented
We are feminist, queer, anti-racist, and we value respectful relationships, especially with people at the margins of the workforce.
We're results-oriented
We don’t just talk about creating impact, we do it, and we measure it. We use evidence and data to produce impact reports of the work we do and support our claims.
The Fresh Desk Team
Josiah Matagi
Essential Worker
Dina Barr
Essential Worker
Caroline Meilink
Essential Worker
Abdirahman Ahmed
Essential Worker
Anastasia Asovale
Essential Worker
Asovale Asovale
Essential Worker
Mohamed Mohamud
Essential Worker
Bontu Ahmed
Essential Worker
Rejina Kahtri GC
Team Leader
Lina Asovale Fairbrother
Team Leader
Daniela Álvarez Sanchez
Essential Worker
Paul Eme Eze
Essential Worker
Christian Molina Bonilla
Operations Manager Wellington
Caroline de Castro
Impact Manager
Nicole Oxenbridge
Operations Manager Auckland
About Us
Do you know what it feels like to have your office cleaned by living wage employees who love their job and use only the best eco-friendly cleaning products? If you’ve never worked with Fresh Desk, you probably don’t – and we’ll be honest... you’re missing out.
Cleaning is solitary, meditative and immensely satisfying. It’s also hard physical work and requires experience and attention to detail to achieve high-quality results. But the value of this service is typically overlooked. Because of this, many cleaners struggle financially. Fresh Desk pays employees the living wage, and you’ll notice the difference: an exceptionally clean, sparkling office every time.
With all our love for being clean, we’d be doing something wrong if we weren’t keeping our planet clean too. Fresh Desk cleaners only use eco-friendly products and sustainable methods to get your premises sparkling. We’re also an Ākina-listed social enterprise and part of the fwd: directory, which helps organisations be more socially and environmentally responsible.
Wellbeing of People and Planet
Climate Action Toolbox
Our goal is to reduce our carbon emissions by 50% by 2028, and to become carbon positive by 2050.
We’ve planted and maintained 30+ trees, many native to Aotearoa including one big urban tōtara which is jolly spiky.
Health and Safety Stars
Our Health and Safety practices have been assessed as showing a very high level of commitment to safety.
Part of a community of practice focussed on health and wellbeing in the cleaning services sector.
Support to Learn
Fresh Desk offers a Skills Programme which helps staff to access professional development.
Resulting in 14 NZQA Certificates and one new cleaning business.
Fresh Desk in the Media
2023 Cleaning Collective Steering Group
Currently working on Bold Goal 3: Developing best practice for health and wellbeing. Milestone 1: to tell a successful social procurement case study
Links with impact story at LINZ/Fresh Desk (Lina)
Links with Toitū Te Whenua LINZ - Buyer commitment to supplier diversity (Claire, Bruce)
Links with intermediary Ākina (Rochelle Wallens) - how to procure social impact
Links with NZGP Rules 16 Broader Outcomes, Rule 19 Employment Standards
Next stories
Working with pakihi Māori
How cleaners’ voices fed into the procurement process (Fala Haulangi’s idea)
Cleaners Care Network grows in new region
Developing ’Jump the Desk’ pathway with Pradeep, Suba and ATH
With Aroha Nepia of Eco Pristine Clean 2020
With Matt Parsons of New Zealand Post 2019
INCLEAN magazine 2018
SAP Social Sabbatical 2018
Ākina Launchpad Work 2017
Social enterprise founded 2014
Get started with a quote
"My background is in cleaning work and cleaning is hard work, it's an underpaid industry…
If I wouldn't do it for minimum wage, why would I expect others to?"
- Nicole Oxenbridge, Fresh Desk Co-Founder