Instead, they were there for food and Christmas gifts from Auckland City Mission to those in need.

This year, the social service provider is distributing its emergency parcels from three different sites, while its central city premises are being rebuilt.

Food bank manager Kelly Brown said the need was great.

“We don’t know how big it’s going to get but each year it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.”

In a downstairs room at Eden Park, volunteers dash in and out with shopping trolleys, creating special parcels for each family as they arrive.

Read more about it here:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/377945/city-mission-to-double-efforts-for-christmas-due-to-unprecedented-demand