Rotorua Salvation Army community ministries manager Darnielle Hoods (centre) community ministries wellbeing team leader Sally Wilson (left) and food security co-ordinator Tracey Ball in the foodbank's supermarket, Te Kai Mākona. Photo / Annabel Reid
Rotorua Salvation Army community ministries manager Darnielle Hoods (centre) community ministries wellbeing team leader Sally Wilson (left) and food security co-ordinator Tracey Ball in the foodbank's supermarket, Te Kai Mākona. Photo / Annabel Reid
A classic Kiwi Christmas isn’t complete without pavlova, chippies and dip.
Those festive staples are at the top of the Rotorua Salvation Army Foodbank’s donation wishlist this year.
Salvation Army community ministries manager Darnielle Hoods said everyone deserved to share in the festive spirit, including those facing hardship orfeeling vulnerable.
Little luxuries like sweets or Christmas treats made a big difference for families trying to create a special day for their children.
Hygiene products such as shampoo, conditioner and body wash were also valued, as supermarket prices could put these out of families’ reach.
Many people also choose to donate Christmas presents for children during the appeal, and this year Hoods hoped some would give items suitable for teenagers, ensuring all young people could “wake up to something under the tree”.
The Christmas Appeal aims to collect as many items as the community was able to donate, supporting the foodbank through the festive season and beyond.
The Rotorua Daily Post Salvation Army's choice-model supermarket, Te Kai Mākona. Photo / Andrew Warner
Hoods said this made a huge difference for families facing hardship and helped keep the choice-model supermarket, Te Kai Mākona, well stocked.
The supermarket launched in May last year and replaced traditional prepackaged food parcels, allowing whānau to choose their own items.
Hoods said the supermarket continued to perform strongly this year.
She said it could not use homemade items, rusted cans, expired or open kai.
Hoods said prices for food, power and fuel remained “high” this year, and the organisation was seeing growing financial strain across Rotorua households.
Hoods said many families were living “week-to-week”, often sacrificing one bill to pay another, and some parents were going without food so their children could eat.
Hoods said the use of buy-now-pay-later services for groceries was also becoming common, with fortnightly repayments “financially crippling whānau”.
Stats NZ’s September food price index showed overall prices up 4.1% annually, led by higher grocery prices – especially dairy and meat.
A kilo of cheese was $12.81, up 31.4%, while a kilo of beef mince was up $17.7% to $23.11.
The rate of increase was slowing, however.
Hoods said meat was one of the top foods in the wishlist.
While mince was regularly provided through the Meat the Need programme, having a wider selection of cuts and proteins was “always a treat”, Hoods said.
Any food donations, including perishables such as frozen meat, can be dropped off to the Salvation Army.
Non-perishables can also be donated at the Rotorua Lakes Council offices, and at various can drives and fundraisers popping up around Rotorua – including The Hits Rotorua’s annual Fill the Bus event on December 4.
Hoods said Fill the Bus usually aimed to collect most of the canned and dry food needs.
If people wished to donate money, the foodbank would use this to source items it would not usually be able to purchase within its current budget.
Christmas Appeal donation wishlist 2025
Pavlova
Chocolates
Jelly
Lollies
Frozen chicken
Frozen meat
Chips
Dip
Shampoo
Conditioner
Body wash
Presents for teens
The Rotorua Salvation Army also welcomes other items, even if they’re not on the list.
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.
