Kindness has come in many forms this Christmas and it has added up to almost $90,000 raised by Rotorua locals for struggling families.
The Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal kicked off on November 15, teaming up again with The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM to rally the community behind the Rotorua Salvation Army Foodbank over six busy weeks.
The Salvation Army wrapped up its final collections at 3pm on Monday, closing off another strong year for the appeal.
On Monday morning the preliminary tally sat at $89,227.50, including $38,037 in food items valued at an average of $3 per item, $24,510.50 in cash or vouchers, and $26,680 worth of toys and gifts for local families.
While the total did not quite top last year’s record-breaking haul of more than $100,000, Rotorua Salvation Army community ministries manager Darnielle Hoods said the result spoke volumes about Rotorua’s generosity and its willingness to support whānau when it mattered most.
In a year where demand was higher than usual and many in the community were struggling, Hoods said “the willingness of people to give sometimes from their own places of scarcity has been moving to see”.
“It’s reminded me that aroha [love] and generosity are not dependent on abundance.”
Items donated throughout the appeal were moving through the foodbank in what Hoods described as a “same day in, same day out” flow.
She said she had to make “multiple trips” to the Mad Butcher to restock pizzas that were “flying out the door”.
“We cannot keep up,” Hoods said.
Whānau shopping at the centre’s choice-model supermarket would often choose not to use all of their allocated points, deliberately leaving items behind so others in their same boat could benefit.
The supermarket operates on a points system, with allocations based on household size and level of need, allowing families to choose the food items that best suit them.
“Even when they themselves have so little, their hearts are turned toward giving,” Hoods said.
Many parents and grandparents Hoods saw were focused on “getting food on the table” and “feeding their whānau”.
When they were “surprised” by the community’s gifts, she said their “emotions went up a notch”, some leaving in tears, “overwhelmed with gratitude”.
Hoods said this year’s appeal stood out as locals donated “beyond basics”.
The Rotorua community listened when the foodbank asked for little luxuries, donating Christmas hams, chocolates, lollies, biscuits and Milo.
Hoods felt the community had given “joyfully”.
In the first week of the appeal, Scope Cafe’s new owner Dave Fabling had been on the job just one day before “jumping in the deep end”, as he put it, by hosting the annual Coffee for a Can fundraiser.
The self-described “new kid on the block” made what he called an “impulse decision” to extend the usually one-day event by an extra half-day, filling the cafe stairs with donated food items.
Fabling said he had “no regrets”.
Rotorua Trust made the first major cash donation of $10,000. Chief executive Blair Gilbert said the trust wanted to help ensure more locals could share in “moments of joy, connection and celebration” over the festive season.
Momentum continued to build with the return of Fill the Bus, which travelled to schools and local businesses and collected more than $22,000 worth of food items in a single day.
The effort showed “we aren’t a city who says things – we actually show up and do it”.
Hundreds of teddy bears worth almost $3000 were donated by Rotorua Hospital, while local mechanic Mathew Woodall volunteered his time to repair donated bikes and turn them into safe Christmas gifts for children. Zorb Rotorua’s annual can-for-a-ride locals’ day resulted in 30 “full” crates of tinned food.
Rotary Club members brought food items to the club’s meetings, with member Mark Gould deliberately selecting “Christmassy” items while supermarket shopping.
Rotorua Lakes Council once again opened its doors as a main community collection point, prompting Salvation Army staff to make three collection trips as donations continued to stack up.
Throughout the appeal, people regularly popped into the Salvation Army to drop off donations or to ask how they could get involved.
Local teen Finley English, who had volunteered with the foodbank for five years, continued to help wherever he was needed, while many others arrived with friends keen to lend a hand.
Rotorua Daily Post editor Kim Gillespie said the annual Christmas Appeal campaign showed time and time again the depth of generosity in the community.
“And this year’s no different – what a result.”
Hoods said the “resilience” shown by the community was deeply moving, describing this year’s Christmas appeal as “extraordinary”.
Looking ahead to 2026, she said the focus would remain on supporting those who, despite their best efforts, continued to struggle, and ensuring Rotorua remained “a community where everyone has enough”.
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.