An anti-poverty organisation says the government shouldn't rely on charities to help people in need.
Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge (right) says the rising cost of living and the continuing pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic means more people are seeking help than ever before. Photo: RNZ / Ruth Hill
Auckland Action Against Poverty (AAAP) helps people access benefits through the Ministry of Social Development, but says many still need help from charities.
AAAP co-ordinator Brooke Stanley Pao said people were asking charities for help because benefits were not sufficient.
Pao added that people were often told to approach charities before applying for a benefit.
"While we honour the work that these charities and these foodbanks do, it's not their responsibility to ensure that people are okay in this country or that people have food security," she said.
"It's not on them to provide those things and I feel like the government uses these organisations to fill a gap that they're unwilling to fill."
Pao said more people were asking the organisation for help because of the rising cost of living and pandemic-related pressures.
The Wellington City Mission reported a similar trend, saying there had been a surge in the number of pleas for help, many from people who had never had to ask for support before.
Missioner Murray Edridge said the rising cost of living and the continuing pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic were contributing factors.
While requests received by the mission first spiked in March 2020, the need was even greater now because of the Omicron outbreak.
"The demand has been very much higher than even it was back in 2020," Edridge said.
"Over the recent days we've seen some of that taper off again, but every time we peak we go back to a slightly higher level of normality."
Housing costs were the single biggest reason people sought help, he said.