Aucklanders needing food parcels from Auckland Emergency Management’s welfare assistance programme must phone 0800 22 22 96 to apply for a parcel to be delivered to their home by courier.
There is no public access at any time, a press release from the office of the Auckland Council said.
“People must not visit Spark Arena to ask for or expect to collect food parcels.
“We are aware of some outlets suggesting that people visit Spark Arena and we ask that you stop doing so immediately. Spark Arena is a distribution centre only and all parcels are despatched by courier for contactless delivery.
“People visiting the site contravenes travel and physical distancing guidelines and puts our team on-site at risk,” the press release said.
Earlier, Auckland Council had set up its own Emergency Management Department in line with the welfare directive announced by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide and distribute food to the desperate people struggling to access basic household supplies.
Starting from Wednesday, April 1, Aucklanders were able to call and request emergency food from the Department, and by April 7, New Zealand’s largest indoor stadium Spark Arena was converted into a massive food distribution centre.
Just in the first week, the Council had received requests of around 3000 people for emergency food help.
Courtesy for all Images: Radio New Zealand