Burns said his client had been appealing for help and special grants to try and get by, without luck.
"It was a survival scenario. She was hungry and going to jail was not a bad option. At least you get a roof over your head and three meals a day."
A police summary of facts recently released to the Rotorua Daily Post and said Tonihi went to Briscoes in Rotorua Central Mall on June 12.
She collected a duffel bag from the shelf and filled it with sheets, bedding and duvet covers, together valued at $1000.
She left the store and made no attempt to pay for the property, the summary said.
Store security stopped her and tried to get one of the sheet sets back but Tonihi ran across the road and turned back towards the store workers and laughed, the summary said.
On August 16, she took a packet of bacon and an energy drink valued at $24 from Countdown in the Rotorua Central Mall.
In court to face the charges on August 22, Tonihi read a letter of remorse to the judge and said she was "truly sorry" for her actions and she had no option to act the way she did.
"I beg you to find it in your heart to forgive me. I do want to change not just for myself but for my babies."
Hollister-Jones said her "very serious set of dishonesty offending" in the last two years was of concern. He said the Department of Corrections had confirmed she was a high risk of reoffending unless she got psychological help.
Judge Hollister-Jones said given Tonihi's previous convictions, he would sentence her to six months' imprisonment.
