"The most important thing we need is money, second is food donations, and thirdly it's presents for the children. It's meeting people's basic needs that is the priority."
Karewa Ale, 26, came from Manurewa to seek food for herself, her husband, their two children and eight other relatives in their home where no one has paid work.
"The only reason I can't get my entitlements [from Work and Income] is because I have to go and see a budgeter," she said.
"But the budgeter I went to ditched me because I went to her two years ago. Because I had moved, she thought I had just left."
Tracey, 38, a Manurewa mother of seven children aged from 15 years down to 3 months, said she was also told to get help from a budgeter but could not get an appointment with a budget agency until the New Year.
"That's too long," she said.
She came for food because her partner's criminal record was hindering his getting a job.
"His life is changing but there is just no work out there. He's looking for labouring work," she said. "I've been here for the last couple of years, but it wasn't this bad last year."
Mangere beneficiaries John Terekia and Teata Pange came with their two youngest children aged 8 and 3. Mr Terekia broke his back in a work accident three years ago but was bumped off accident compensation on to a sickness benefit when he resigned from his job because he could not return to work.
"This is the first time we have ever done this, we never knew there was a place like this," he said, as the family waited at the back of the queue outside St Matthew in the City.
"When I had a job, my kids could have got anything they wanted. Now I just have to say, 'No, no, no'." Waterview mother Anna Murray, a sole parent with two toddlers aged 2 and 1, has had eight Work and Income hardship grants this year and got a lift into town with a friend to queue for food.
Last year she had help from her extended family but they have returned to Scotland this year.
"I'm left with $120 a week after paying my bills, and I need $80 for nappies and baby formula," she said.
Massey sole parent Amanda Stewart earns $130 a week as a cleaner on top of her benefit but it is still not enough for her four children still at home, aged 15 down to 7.
She queued up hoping for some presents for the children.
"These are the only presents they're going to get," she said.
Patricia Emery, from Christchurch, followed her adult children up to Auckland after the earthquakes but has not been able to find work.
Five Work and Income staff are working at the mission until Christmas to check every family's entitlements. The mission gives food parcels and presents to families who have no entitlements left.
Ms Robertson said the mission helped 2027 people in the first 16 days of this month, up from 1515 last year.
www.aucklandcitymission.org.nz
