Watch: Auckland City Mission celebrates Christmas with street market and food stalls

• The Auckland City Mission is holding a Christmas Day street market with food and gift stations.
• Helen Robinson has highlighted the economic struggles, noting 7000 food parcels and 30,000 presents distributed recently.
• The day began with a pōwhiri, emphasising community and sharing, led by Reverend Otene Rewiti.

The Auckland City Mission has turned the central laneway at its HomeGround headquarters into a buzzing street market for Christmas Day, with food stalls providing noodles, spring rolls, ice cream, and fish n’ chips, morphing from breakfast to brunch to lunch.

Between 400 and 500 residents, regulars, and new faces are expected throughout the day to enjoy the festive atmosphere, including a traditional lunch with all the trimmings, and stations with presents, bags of lollies, chocolate and biscuits, and delicious desserts.

A surprise present this year for people in greatest need is a donation from Australia of two pallets of Nike shoes.

City missioner Helen Robinson said today’s mood is layered with a sense of being whānau together celebrating a special day but is also a tricky day for a lot of people.

“New Zealand is in a really tough economic space. We see it in all kinds of different ways: the reality of people needing homes, we are seeing it from families coming to seek support for food.

“We have distributed with our partners 7000 food parcels and 30,000 presents in the last couple of weeks. Each one of those food boxes feeds a family of four with free meals for four days.

“It’s extraordinary numbers. A couple of weeks ago the New Zealand Health Service came out to say 27% of New Zealand’s children don’t have enough food. That is one in four of our children…it’s tragic and it makes me wild,” Robinson said.

Head chef Lana Pogoda said a lot of planning goes into Christmas Day with an amazing crew of 20 staff and volunteers. As she speaks a passerby butts in: “She’s chef extraordinaire. The greatest chef in New Zealand.”

“I only work at a place I love to be in. If I’m not happy, I leave. I always do what I love to do. I love our whānau, I like everything,” said Pogoda who cooks 300 meals a day at the City Mission, which is open 365 days a year.

The Christmas Day festivities started at 8am with a pōwhiri and waiata led by the City Mission’s kaumātua, the Reverend Otene Reweti.

“From my Christian point of view, it’s not about Santa Claus and all the presents, it’s so hyped-up. It’s about the birth of the boy child Jesus in the manger and celebrating what good is in the world.

“We see everything that is negative and today is an example of sharing what good we do have with those who are not as well off as some of us are. Here in Aotearoa, we have so much to give to others.

“I’m enjoying the vibe. It’s happy and low-key,” said Reweti, with a big smile as he finished an ice cream.

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