A food charity says it's seen a rise in the number of students asking for help and lining up for food parcels each week.
It comes as the heightened cost of living continues to burn a hole through Kiwis' pockets, with students among those struggling to make ends meet.
Speaking to Breakfast, University of Waikato student Sophie Priddy said: "To call it tough is a bit of an understatement."
She said students are working to cover their living costs on top of fees, but it isn't enough, and it's "just getting us barely by".
Priddy said many are having to take out living costs as part of their student loans just to help get by.
A food charity says it's seen double the number of students needing support to put food on the table. Thanks both (Source: Breakfast)
"In just one-and-a-half years, I've got $13,000 of extra debt to pay back, just to help cover my bills," she said.
And asking for help can also be "pretty hard" because "you want to be able to say you can just get through it".
"Even last year, asking my parents if I could get some money to see the dentist because I have three wisdom teeth coming through, it was hard.
"You want to be able to say you can support yourself, but the reality is we honestly can't."
‘Gone beyond tough’
Also joining Breakfast was the manager of food charity Good Neighbour Renee Hanna, who said financial pressure on students had "gone beyond tough".
"It's become more unmanageable.
"We're seeing students that are really struggling just to be able to have any kind of nutritious food at all and are just making it by."
She said she had seen "at least double" the number of students lining up to receive food packages and that her charity was supporting around 1200 people.
"It's become something that they've relied on. It's become a means of living from week to week."
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