Sharing food across the wider whanau is the only way Papakura's Peawini family keeps food on the table.
Trainee social worker Karaumata Peawini, 41, and her daughter Naire Pahina, 22, have both used all their entitlements to food grants from Work and Income this year.
After paying the bills, Mrs Peawini has $20 a day to feed herself, her husband, four children still at home and 6-year-old granddaughter Quivaille.
Ms Pahina has about $50 left out of her domestic purposes benefit every week to feed herself and 2-year-old son Noah after paying her rent, power and debt repayments.
But the two households, plus Mrs Peawini's two other adult daughters and Ms Pahina's former partner's parents, live nearby and help each other.
"I always go to them if I need a hand and they come to me if they need a hand," Mrs Peawini said. "We have our own support system."
Young Noah Pahina-Lokeni's Samoan grandmother "is always coming in with kai" to help the Pahina family.
"If I didn't have his Samoan grandmother around, I'd have nothing," Ms Pahina said.
This mutual support kept the whanau afloat until Mrs Peawini's husband lost his driving job three months ago.
"That's when everything went haywire, because what you get on the benefit is just not cutting it," Mrs Peawini said.
The Peawini family has automatic payments taken from their unemployment benefit for Housing NZ rent, power, phone, insurance, gym fees, repayments to Work and Income and child support for another child who was whangai (adopted out) to Mr Peawini's sister. That leaves $190 a week for food and everything else.
"You're lucky if that gets bread, butter, milk, sugar, toilet paper, it doesn't leave much for anything else," Mrs Peawini said. "I do confess I do smoke cigarettes, I'd spend $20 on that. I know I shouldn't but everyone has to have their lolly."
The children eat, but "they go long periods between meals".
"But me and my husband are the ones that go without," Mrs Peawini said.
"Something has to change, either I have to get a job or he does - I'm picking him because I need to do my social work placement for six months, then I can go out and work."
What you can do
Sponsor a hungry child for 50c a day.
(to help provide the basics they're missing out on.)
kidscan.org.nz
Donate to Salvation Army food banks.
salvationarmy.org.nz
Donate to Auckland City Mission winter appeal.
(you can text help to 305 to instantly donate $3.)
aucklandcitymission.org.nz
Use your business or community group to feed hungry kids in your local school or community.
