Auckland City Mission chief executive Chris Farrelly says the need for food and gift donations this Christmas are "greater than ever".
The organisation has five sites - three marae, Eden Park and Vision West - set up around the city for needy people to book appointments to collect donated goods.
Farrelly told TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning that each of those sites get about 40,000 calls every day.
"People are just really desperate, desperate to get some food for this week leading up to Christmas," he said.
"People just really see this as a doorway and so eventually they will connect with us, we'll give them an appointment, they'll come to one of the sites and then they will be met with manaakitanga, they will be greeted, they will be warmly acknowledged, they'll be seen."
Farrelly said the move to a marae-focused approach this year was because Māori make up a significant proportion of people in need.
"While it's well intentioned, it can be patronising. Why don't we walk beside the marae and enable them in a better way than we could do it? he said.
"So this has been the switch around now, we will now work with marae to enable them, not to give them a voice - but the voice is already there, not to give them hands - the hands are already there, just enable that to happen."
"They're now beginning to teach us and the country what manaaki really is, so this is really a gift to all of us."
Tony Kake, of Papakura Marae where the Auckland City Mission has a donations site, says demand has been huge all year. (Source: Other)
Tony Kake, of Papakura Marae where the Auckland City Mission has a donations site, said demand had been huge all year, especially due to Covid-19.
"We've had an incredible year and just encapsulated at this time of year so the demand on our whānau to put bread and butter on the table, let alone presents, so that's what this is all about - it just takes a little bit of shine off the poverty, the hardship that many of our whānau go through," he said.
Meanwhile, Farelly thanked Kiwis for their donations and for thinking of less fortunate New Zealanders throughout the year.
"The need is greater than ever, the donations are good and all this food, all these presents come from people.
"This is New Zealand at its best, all this comes from people and we are saying now, one week to go, we still need food, we still need cash to buy food, and we need presents so that every child in this country this Christmas can experience Christmas, so that every family can have food on their table this Christmas."
People can donate to Auckland City Mission at the Grafton Shop and Trade Me Pick-up Location at 15 Auburn Street, or online .
SHARE ME