"It's just getting harder and harder for people to cope."
Mr Martin said many of those coming to the organisation for help were new clients - people who had never had to use the service before.
"Every month we've been seeing about 30 new clients use our services, that works out at about one new client a day. In August we had 33 totally new clients, that's a lot of people who are having a hard time meeting costs."
Mr Martin said a variety of people were coming to them needing help.
"It's important not to blanket people. There's no 'one type' of people who need help. We see people working two part-time jobs who still struggle financially, married couples whose working hours have been reduced, unemployed youth who are trying to upskill, people who have been laid off work and pensioners too."
He said they have also seen an increase in big families using the services, especially families with four or five children.
Salvation Army Rotorua Captain Amanda Martin said by New Zealand standards, there was an issue of poverty, especially child poverty, in Rotorua.
"Definitely by New Zealand standards there is [poverty] and it's often the most vulnerable, like children, who go without," she said.
According to a Unicef report on child poverty published last week, New Zealand's child poverty rates have decreased by less than half a per cent since 2007.
The annual report states the percentage of New Zealand families who said they did not have enough money to buy food for themselves had increased from nine per cent in 2007, to 14 per cent in 2013. In contrast, the report says Australia reduced its child poverty rate by more than 6 per cent over the same period.
Owhata Primary School principal and president of the Rotorua Principals' Association, Bob Stiles, told the Rotorua Daily Post last week poverty was an issue for many families in Rotorua.
"There are more aid agents, such as KidsCan, who help provide children with food and clothing but poverty is a very real issue for many families and has a huge impact on children and their education."
Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell agreed child poverty was an issue in Rotorua and nationwide.
He described child and whanau poverty as a "crisis that demands all political parties and agencies to work together on reducing the inequities in this country".
Mr Flavell said the 100,000 Maori children living in poverty was a shameful record for New Zealand. "These are children whose greatest challenge comes from having been born into a situation they have no control over. Growing up in a poor whanau means tamariki are more vulnerable to life-threatening diseases, perform badly in school, and ultimately, are less likely to experience success as adults."
Why are people struggling?
There are a multitude of reasons why people find themselves in financial hardship.
Mr Martin said it was often a result of several issues, with increasing living costs often partially to blame.
"The cost of living is getting higher and higher. Power prices have soared and rent and accommodation can be expensive. That, in the face of reduced wages, job losses or increased debt, can often lead to people falling into hardship."
The majority of people who came to the organisation didn't want to be in that situation and were doing what they could to try to get out of it, he said.
Rotorua Budget Advisory Service's Pearl Pavitt said some people in the region simply didn't have enough money to put food on the table..
She said people often found themselves in debt, after buying something in the moment through a finance company. They then could end up paying up to 400 per cent in interest on that item.
Mrs Pavitt said we lived in a society rich in advertising, which pressured people to buy things they often didn't need.
Cold callers, door knockers and scammers were also a huge problem, she said.
Because of people's debt levels they often had to pay their loans off on a weekly basis, she said, which could take precedence over buying food.
A Ministry of Social Development spokesperson said in cases where there was no other way for people to meet their costs, there was government assistance available including special needs grants, recoverable assistance payments and benefit advances.
This assistance was available to those on low-incomes regardless of whether they were receiving a benefit or not, provided they met the income and asset criteria, though eligibility was determined on a case-by-case basis.
How you can help
Donations to the Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal for the Salvation Army foodbank can be made at our Hinemoa St office between 8am and 5pm on weekdays. People can donate money or non-perishable food items. Food donations can also be made at the Salvation Army's Community Ministries at Community House on Haupapa St.
Can drives will take place in the next few weeks.
If any organisations, schools or individuals are organising a can drive or fundraising event, please let us know by contacting reporter Adriana Weber.
Call (07) 343 6897 or email adriana.weber@dailypost.co.nz.
