Te Māhurehure Marae in Auckland is delivering care packages to local kaumātua.
Initiated by Te Rūnanganui o Ngāpuhi and Ngāpuhi Hauora, the 300 care packages left the West Auckland marae today headed to locked down kaumātua as far south as Port Waikato and as far north as Silverdale, and everywhere in between.
The packages contained simple essential foods such as mince, sausages, bread, eggs, and flour as well as household essentials like toilet paper.
Te Māhurehure kaumātua Rereata Mākiha explained that the packages contain the same kind of food our whānau would normally eat every day.
Tracey Panapa of Te Mahurehure Marae is leading the project with a team of volunteers most of whom hail from Te Māhurehure up in the Hokianga.
She says she was delegated just last week from Ngāpuhi chairperson Mere Mangu but is pleased with how quickly the project came together.
"Once I was given this rākau, there was a couple of days for me to actually put a plan together to drive this kaupapa. [We're] very very fortunate that the people that I reached out to, Pak'n Save Mt Albert he came to the rescue to actually deliver our groceries."
It's estimated 1200 packs will be distributed each fortnight.
Makiha says some of the feedback they're receiving from elders living in lockdown at home, shows their main concern is more the wellbeing of their mokopuna during the COVID-19 crisis.
No doubt these packages will help keep these koroheke in good spirits in these troubled times.