Cost of living at Christmas: Dave Letele, Alf Filipaina among community leaders supporting Giving Machines

A vending machine that works in reverse was opened today and community leaders say it’s needed more than ever.

Giving Machines allow people to donate goods including baby supplies, medicine, food and school supplies before Christmas.

“Everybody is struggling,” Manukau Ward councillor Alf Filipaina said at Auckland’s Sylvia Park today.

“This is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

He said Giving Machines let the community and donors immediately see where their money is going.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsored the initiative and started it in 2017.

Vending Direct NZ and Sylvia Park owner Kiwi Properties also supported the initiative.

It had participation from groups including Age Concern, Auckland City Mission, BBM Motivation, Blind Low Vision, Plunket and Youthline.

BBM Motivation founder Dave Letele, an ambassador for Giving Machines, said more people needed support because of the cost of living.

He said a range of people were affected, not just “the stereotypical poor”, and many of them and businesses had not recovered since the Covid pandemic.

“The sad thing is each year gets harder,” he said at the launch today.

Dave Letele at the Sylvia Park Giving Machines launch. Photo / John Weekes

Letele said the measure of success for him would be when the country no longer needed organisations such as BBM.

“I pray and I hope one day that there’ll be no need for our charities.”

He queried how committed the Government was to supporting social causes.

“What do you think the cost would be if groups like ours could no longer continue?”

An Afterpay survey last month found 46% of people planned to spend less this holiday season, many citing the cost of living.

And this week, North Harbour Budgeting mentor David Verry said queues at budgeting services were getting longer.

Visitors approach a Giving Machine and choose something to donate.

A card representing each item or service then drops from the machine with every purchase.

The Sylvia Park Giving Machine aims to let donors pick a specific cause, NGO or charity to donate to. Photo / John Weekes

Donors can then scan a QR code to get a tax-deductible receipt.

Each machine kept a tally of the items donated to each charity.

Early next year, donated funds from the previous year will be delivered to each charity.

Donations are used and fulfilled over the next year by each recipient.

The 2023 New Zealand campaign delivered $78,000.

In 2025 there are vending machines in more than 100 cities worldwide, including four New Zealand cities.

The Auckland machine will operate until December 28.

Other machines are at Christchurch’s Riccarton Westfield Mall, Wellington’s Queensgate Mall in Lower Hutt, and The Base in Te Rapa, Hamilton.

• Stay ahead with the latest market moves, corporate updates, and economic insights by subscribing to our Business newsletter – your essential weekly round-up of all the business news you need.