Tauranga services that provide food to struggling families are bracing for a surge in demand this summer as free school meal programmes close down for the holidays.
Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said school holidays typically bring a "jump" in the number of households needing help - with a 45 per cent spike in demand recorded over the July break.
With annual food prices up 10.1 per cent - a 14-year high, according to Stats NZ - schools say parents are already struggling, and community centres in Welcome Bay and Merivale are expecting a rise in foodbank referrals.
It comes as the Bay of Plenty Times launched a six-week Christmas Appeal on Saturday, raising food and financial donations for the foodbank to help it get through the holidays and beyond.
The foodbank's figures showed just over half of the 19,603 people it had helped in the 12 months to October were children.
Goodwin said that was a drop from 10 years ago, when children represented more than 60 per cent of the people the foodbank supported.
One reason for this was the Government's lunches in schools programme, Ka Ora, Ka Ako, which reached 110 schools - the equivalent of 23,424 students - across the Bay of Plenty.
The programme, introduced in 2019, meant fewer families turned to a foodbank for help during term times, Goodwin said.
However, the number of households needing food support spiked during school holidays.
The 45 per cent spike in the July break was followed by a 20 per cent rise during October's two-week holiday.
"During the term, families have got that extra support in schools, and in the holidays, that stops. We see our numbers jump up during those times - which makes perfect sense," she said.
She said the summer holidays were typically a "stressful" time for families, and thought the level of demand over the approaching holidays would be "hard to predict".
"It's a long time. I am anticipating we will probably be seeing families more than once."
She said previously there was a "lot of uncertainty" in the Tauranga community as living costs skyrocketed, and she anticipated "some very tough times ahead".
"It makes me cautious going forward. People who have been stable are finding difficulties – and that is a big red flag."
Welcome Bay Community Centre manager Sacha Harwood told the Bay of Plenty Times that in the school holidays, demand for food support increased by about a third.
On average, they provided food support to between 30 and 40 households each week - and this would typically jump by at least 10 during the holidays, she said.
"That's our capacity, so we don't tend to see more people than that. There is more need out there, we are just addressing the more immediate need," she said.
The centre provided food parcels for residents living in Welcome Bay, alongside emergency support and referrals to the Tauranga Community Foodbank. Each week they referred up to four households to the foodbank, she said.
Harwood, who has managed the centre for 18 months, said rising living costs were putting a "big financial strain" on many families. This was limiting their access to "healthy and nutritious food for kids", she said.
"We are seeing an increased need for food support in the lead-up to Christmas. A lot of parents are trying to afford Christmas on many levels, and food is often where things get a little bit tighter."
There was also a "huge demand" for free family events in the local community, as families were struggling to afford fuel.
"Getting in and out of the area can be challenging. If people are having to travel, they are doing a lot less of that," she said.
Merivale Community Centre, another foodbank referral partner, referred about 19 people to the foodbank over the past month.
Manager Dave Merton said there was a "noticeable difference" in demand for food when students were not receiving free breakfast and lunch at school.
"Food security is crazy all the time - but during the school holidays, children come to have breakfast with us and get kai for their whānau."
He said children could turn up at the centre "any time" for cereal, toast and other breakfast foods.
"We know what happens in the holidays so we kind of expect it. It's just walk-in as the need arises," he said.
Tauranga Special School principal Barrie Wickens said the impact of rising food and fuel prices was "prevalent" for some families, and occasionally those "really struggling" were referred to the foodbank.
He said he thought there would be a "small number" under more financial pressure when students did not have access to free lunches.
He described the healthy school lunches programme as an "absolute winner" that was "well supported by parents". There was high uptake among students and no wastage, he said.
All 107 students from the base school and satellite classes around Tauranga had access to the programme - however, some families had opted out, he said.
Wickens said because of the small classroom sizes and high staff ratios, the school was "well-connected" with families and often knew when they were experiencing hardship.
"We would know if a family is under stress - but you always have to acknowledge family pride. Sometimes we don't see what is going on because they are trying to cope in their own world."
Te Puke Intermediate principal Jill Weldon said numbers at the school's breakfast club doubled recently, and any leftover lunches from Ka Ora, Ka Ako were taken home by students.
While the programme "took the pressure off immensely" for families, Weldon was hearing from a range of parents struggling to afford fresh produce such as meat and produce, she said.
Recent Stats NZ figures found a rise in fruit and vegetable prices of 17 per cent in a year.
Tauranga Girls' College principal Tara Kanji said the "biggest pinch" for families was rising food prices, with the school running a free breakfast club for all students and making about 40 lunches daily for those in need.
The school introduced both initiatives last year, as it identified the need "much earlier than the cost of living increases".
"This too helps to support those ākonga (students) in need of kai and ensures they are better able to function and engage with learning, as they are fed," she said.
KidsCan showed it fed 4488 students in the Bay of Plenty region daily in Term Four last year and would be feeding 6000 students daily in Term Four this year.
The charity service supported 102 schools and early childhood centres in the region, which covers Tauranga, Rotorua, Ōpōtiki, Murupara, Kawerau and Whakatāne.
He also previously criticised the bank's actions during Covid.