Greerton Village Kindergarten manager Dave Mudford. Photo / George Novak
More preschoolers are turning up to school hungry and in ill-fitting clothes - and some aren't showing up at all.
Two children's charities say they have waitlists to respond to cries for help in the Bay of Plenty, but are struggling to keep up with demand.
Older kids are having a hard time too, with families unable to afford the basics as housing costs soar and difficult decisions need to be made that sometimes see children bear the brunt.
There are 18 early childhood centres in the Bay of Plenty on the waitlist for KidsCan's under 5's programmes, three times more than the waitlist at the same time last year.
The centres waiting are in Rotorua, Tauranga, Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki and Te Puke.
Due to rising economic hardship, the charity now supports 15 early learning centres in the region, seven of which are new this year.
The under 5's programme started two years ago and provides daily healthy lunches, a warm raincoat, a pair of shoes, two pairs of socks and head lice treatment.
Children's charity Variety has a waitlist of 34 children in the Bay of Plenty seeking its support, seven children from Rotorua and the same number from Tauranga.
The charity already sponsors 485 children in the Bay of Plenty including 78 in Rotorua and 99 in Tauranga.
Greerton Village Kindergarten manager Dave Mudford said some parents used to regularly call and say their child could not come to kindy because they had nothing for lunch.
"It's heartbreaking."
Hungry students at school were unsettled and would become "sheepish" when morning tea or lunchtime was called.
"They have regularly said they haven't come with breakfast or got lunch with them."
The centre applied for help in 2015 but KidsCan were not providing for early childhood centres at the time.
"We had several families that would ring regularly and say their children couldn't come to kindergarten because they had no lunch," Mudford said.
Children showed up with clothes that were too big, too small, or inadequate for the conditions which created an "environment for unwellness".
Last year, the centre was invited into the programme and had its first week of food provided in January.
Attendance had since improved, which Mudford said was pivotal for regular routines and keeping up with sustained learning.
"If they're here only one or two days a week, then they miss out on opportunities, the extended play, which equates to missing out on extended learning.
"They're more settled, and that's a much better learning environment for everyone. They know they are going to get something to eat ... they're all equal now."
He said they were still ordering the jackets and shoes for the children which he said would "make a big difference" in the winter.
Median house prices in the Bay of Plenty hit a record $848,250 in February, an increase of 26.8 per cent over just the past 12 months, Real Estate Institute of New Zealand data showed.
That exceeded the national house price increase of 22.8 per cent to $780,000.
In the year to June, the median gross household annual income in the region was up 9 per cent to $79,327, according to Stats NZ.
Last year's Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey of 309 cities around the world showed Tauranga was the least affordable city in the country.
Wellington-based researcher, author and journalist Max Rashbrooke, who has written books about wealth and inequality, said child poverty in New Zealand was three to four times that of other developed countries.
He said this was a combination of "inadequate" wages and benefit rates, and four out of 10 children in poverty had a parent in full-time work.
"A lot of families are faced with that awful choice of do you feed your kids or do you pay rent this week ... and that's because they don't have any other option."
KidsCan chief executive Julie Chapman said the charity was growing its programme "as quickly as possible".
"But with a growing waitlist, we need more public support."
The time a centre stayed on the waitlist depended on when they had capacity because the charity relied on donations to meet demand, with more centres supported as funds allowed. Once a school or centre has this support, it is never taken away.
Variety chief executive Susan Glasgow said there were "always" more children in need of support than sponsors to support them.
The reasons people needed support ranged from a solo mum who asked for help with a rain jacket, jersey and school camp fees, to a teen whose family was in emergency housing and needed money for a school uniform.
"A mum with a medical condition that prevents her from working is unable to provide for her children's many needs. Her five-year-old daughter has just started school. This family needs help with just about everything, bedding, warm clothing, shoes, school uniform," Glasgow said.
"Variety is working around the clock to sign up sponsors for these children who, through no fault of their own, are severely at risk of falling behind."
SociaLink general manager Liz Davies said people on low and medium incomes had less money for food. She believed rising housing costs were a key factor.
She said a lack of nutritious food impacted the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of children.
This was seen in poor oral health, more hospital visits, and isolation if not sent to school or to social gatherings where food contributions were needed.
The financial stress on families could trickle down further into a child's wellbeing when it contributed to rises in family harm, alcohol and drug use, and higher demand for social services.
Rotorua Budget Advisory manager Pakanui Tuhura said children going hungry was all too common.
"Every day we hear of children going hungry because families are struggling."
Some of the families they worked with were part of food in schools programmes and said it helped free up money for other costs.
Tauranga Budget Advisory manager Shirley McCombe said families were struggling and some kids were not going to school because they didn't have any food.
Donations can be made online to KidsCan and Variety on their websites.
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