Argentineans Felipe Di Giacinti and Sofia Cecchini faced sleeping in their van when they arrived in Queenstown looking for work in July, before support from the local community and the Red Cross. Photo / File
The government and Red Cross has spent more than $15 million helping immigrants stranded in the country after being made redundant or running out of savings.
Red Cross says some of those helped were in distressing and sometimes terrifying situations, sleeping in cars and unable to return home.
Argentineans Felipe Di Giacinti and Sofia Cecchini faced sleeping in their van when they arrived in Queenstown looking for work in July.
The backpackers had been travelling in the van for six weeks, but the winter had closed in as they headed south looking for work.
"It's really cold and if you don't have a heater or anything I don't know if it's possible or comfortable to spend the winter nights in a van," Felipe, 21, said.
Strangers put them up for a few days and then they discovered the Visitor Care Manaaki Manuhiri programme, which paid their rent and gave them food vouchers.
They later found jobs at the skifields and are now near Cromwell working on the summer fruit harvest. They are grateful for the help they received from Red Cross, saying it was incredible kindness in a foreign land.
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) paid $7.4m in accommodation and utility bill costs and Red Cross spent $7.9m on food vouchers and medication for 11,000 travellers and unemployed foreign workers.
Red Cross general manager of migration Rachel O'Connor said it also provided people with blankets and warm clothes for the Kiwi winter they had not been expecting to stay for.
"We've probably supported about 30 people who have ended up having to live in their vehicles, so we've supported them making sure that can get money to move into accommodation. But it's really through no fault of their own - they were expecting to go home, they had flights. I think it's been a distressing time for a lot of people.
"We've had people come into the Red Cross buildings and as we've talked with them or as we've given them food vouchers people have just burst into tears because they have been in a desperate situation and haven't known what to do next."
Red Cross used social media and contacted backpackers' hostels, faith groups and foodbanks to try to find those most in need, with posters in a dozen languages and outreach to rural areas.
It was receiving 200 applications a day, and although that was down to 60 daily requests, O'Connor said the need was still there.
"They are just almost overwhelmed at the generosity of Kiwis right from the sense that this is a foreign government providing them with support - they can't believe we would do that. And we've heard story after story where they've engaged with this kindness out in the community and Kiwis have really looked after visitors."
That kindness ranged from social media offers of accommodation during the first lockdown to grassroots groups rallying around to help groups of seasonal workers.
During the first lockdown, tales of immigrant hardship included a worker asking a budgeting service for adult nappies so he could sleep in his car, and others going hungry.
The government refused to use a special epidemic provision of the Social Security Act to give immigrants benefits, as it had asked Australia to do for New Zealanders in need.
Tasman church pastor Greig Caigou said his church and the wider community rallied around, finding casual jobs for unemployed Pacific Islanders, who had completed their time in the harvest.
The next group of Samoans had arrived to take over and there was not enough work for the stranded crew.
"We just hosted a big end-of-harvest community concert and folks turned out in their droves," he said.
"I didn't even declare that there was going to be a donation, but people just wanted to donate so that was wonderful."
He said while they didn't know of the government help available for RSE workers, everyone ensured there was enough support.
Their fundraising also helped pay $300 Covid-19 tests, a necessary but costly final hurdle for those who found flights back to the Pacific Islands.
DIA said total in-kind assistance provided was $15.3m - $7.4m for in-kind support of accommodation and utilities from the government and $7.9m from Red Cross for food vouchers, across the counter medication, and warm clothing.
The top four nationalities that sought help were Tonga (1935 people) Samoa (1251), Vanuatu (1101) and India (1013), and almost half of the applicants were seasonal workers.
The Red Cross said the government was deciding what support if any it will provide after the programme finishes at the end of this month.
People are calling for free testing so people would drive safely.