Another wave of job losses sparked by the second Covid-19 lockdown in Auckland is pushing some families to the limit, social services say.
The Salvation Army says demand for food parcels has spiked across Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Tom Furley
Foodbanks are again reporting increased demand for food parcels, but families are also more anxious about how they will pay the rent and bills.
South Seas Healthcare chief executive Silao Vaisola-Sefo said the latest job losses were often hitting the same people who suffered first time around.
"We've seen families during the lockdown level 4, people who have lost their jobs who still haven't returned to any work and now we're seeing a second wave, especially from the same families," he said.
South Seas Healthcare chief executive Silao Vaisola-Sefo. Photo: Supplied
The Salvation Army said demand for food parcels had spiked across Auckland.
But northern community ministries manager Rhonnda Middleton said in Manukau, they have seen a 150 percent increase, with more than 100 parcels being handed out each day.
"Out south, it is hit hard. There's a lot of people whose jobs may have been casual and their income has been affected and it's hit pretty quick."
Pasifika Futures chief executive Debbie Sorensen said people reliant on casual work, or in the hospitality and tourism sectors were particularly hard hit by the latest round of job losses.
Pasifika Futures chief executive Debbie Sorensen. Photo: Alex Perrottet / RNZ
Families with few breadwinners are increasingly worried about how they will pay the rent and bills, she said.
"One of the things we learnt from last time is that Pacific families often during a lockdown choose to bubble up together - it's not uncommon to have multiple families in one space and they share the costs and the space together.
"That of course drives up some costs around heating and power."
Big households also presented challenges for children trying to do their schoolwork, Vaisola-Sefo said.
"When you've got 18 people in the house, what room are you going to go and do the online learning in, especially if you've got a Zoom session with your class?
"They have to go and sit in the car."
Sorensen said this time there had been greater demand for digital devices to help with education.
"Not just school children, but also people who are in tertiary study who are now back on remote and digital learning.
"They might have managed OK in the previous lockdown, but might not have fully got themselves up to speed in the interim."
And Sorensen said some of those student would also face pressure to bring home money.
"In households where the working members of the family may have lost their jobs, and students are being used to do things like reprovisioning shelves in the supermarket, there is some pressure for those students to retain their jobs and actually not go back into study, because they might in fact be the only person working in the household."
The Salvation Army's budgeting and social work services were also busy dealing with more and more new clients, Middleton said.
"Once we came out of lockdown last time our social workers and financial mentors were really just catching up and having so many new clients that they hadn't seen before."
Middleton said the Salvation Army was expecting to continue providing increased levels of support for many months to come.
