By Deanna Harris
New Zealanders are planning to cut back on charitable giving this Christmas according to a recent survey.
Despite reports of an increasing need for help within communities across New Zealand, 18 percent of Kiwis say they will be donating less this year.
“We understand the pressures many people are under at the moment and that they may need to cut back on Christmas expenditure but we appeal to them not to do so at the expense of those who need help during the festive season,” says Major Robert Ross, Territorial Public Relations Secretary for The Salvation Army, which is the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal’s participating charity.
The survey of 513 New Zealanders was conducted by Lonergan Research in the first week of November for the Kmart Wishing Tree Annual Appeal.
The number of people seeking assistance from The Salvation Army has
been at an all time high this year, with more than 28,000 families
seeking food alone from the organisation.
Only 10 percent surveyed say they are planning to donate more this year compared to last year.
There is a difference between those donating in the North Island and South Island.
In the South Island 15 percent say they are likely to donate more this year than last, as compared to only 9 percent of North Islanders.
“Just last week, we published statistics showing a 22 percent increase in demand for our social and emergency services this year, as compared to the previous 12 months.
“The figures also showed a massive 38 percent increase over the last quarter in the number of families turning to us for food for the first time,” says Mr Ross.
The survey also found that 45 percent of New Zealanders anticipate spending more on food than on presents this Christmas, while 22 percent expect to spend more on entertainment or going out.
Now in its sixteenth year, the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal has helped more than 228,000 New Zealanders and, last year alone, distributed 26,593 gifts.
This year, it is hoped that 30,000 gifts will be donated.
Kmart’s New Zealand manager Sue Smith says Kiwis have always been a generous bunch and she does not believe people will turn their backs to those in need this Christmas.
“Let’s prove the pollsters’ predictions wrong and ensure that as many families as possible have some cause for festive cheer this Christmas,” says Ms Smith.
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