While politicians and councils talked about the cost-of-living crisis, Māngere residents said they weren’t seeing enough action in their streets.
Now, a community network of volunteers took matters into their own hands.
Ngā Manga o Māngere organised a free “Manage Your Money” event at the Māngere Town Centre Library on Thursday night.
The goal was simple: connect families with the banks, power companies, and government agencies that could help them survive the week.
Vicky Hau, Māngere Town Centre Manager and a volunteer for Ngā Manga o Māngere, said the event was born out of frustration.
“I’m not seeing any work done by local leaders that are mobilising something like this,” Hau said.
“There was a lot of talk about the cost of living and the impact it has on our community, but I don’t see the action that follows through,” she said. “By doing something like this, we’re putting solutions in place for our community.”
The crisis was no longer just hitting those on benefits; it was squeezing working families who were doing everything right but still falling behind.
“There were hardworking residents out there working nine to five, but that was still not going a long way for this current cost of living,” Hau said. “Do you pay fuel or do you buy bread and milk?”
Eti, a Māngere father of two, said the pressure was constant. Like many in the area, he didn’t even know there was help available for things like water bills until this event was organised.
“Any chance to save money or help relieve any costs will make a difference to my family,” he said.
The volunteers said mainstream financial advice often failed to understand the specific pressures on Pacific families.
While a standard bank might tell a family to cut costs, they didn’t account for the cultural and spiritual commitments that were non-negotiable in the community.
“From a Pacific lens, it’s even tougher because we have more obligations to our church, to our families, to our villages, that a financial literacy class doesn’t actually cover,” Hau said.
Te’o Harry Fatu Toleafoa, who was part of the Ngā Manga steering committee, said the event aimed to catch people before they hit rock bottom.
“People sought help right towards the end. The earlier you could seek assistance, the better it was,” he said.
“We could talk all we want, but unless there was something tangible for the community to walk away with, that was a big driver for us.”
In response to the criticism, Auckland Council said it supported various initiatives including food-growing projects and financial resilience courses.
Kim Taunga, Head of Community Delivery South, said the Māngere Town Centre Library was a “trusted space” that allowed people to connect with information.
Kaea Walter Inoke-Togiamua, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board chair, also praised the event, calling it “real action”.
But for the volunteers on the ground, the fact that they had to organise this themselves proved there was a gap in leadership.
Thursday’s event was the first of three. Future sessions will focus on the two biggest hurdles facing Southside families: the rising cost of food and the skyrocketing price of fuel.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
