Steven is one of 55 Dunedin foodbank users interviewed by Dr Katharine Cresswell Riol while a researcher at the University of Otago between 2016 and 2021.
The report of her findings released last week labels New Zealand’s foodbank model a "human rights disgrace" as charity becomes the evermore prevalent way to provide those in need with food.
"Paying With Dignity: The Human Cost of Food Charity" details the issues associated with using five different foodbanks in the city.
The Centre of Theology and Public Issue report describes how, even when operators had the best intentions, foodbanks could be fraught with steps that users felt stripped them of their dignity.
A sense of shame meant that wider structural issues at the root of hunger and poverty were minimised, hindering change, the report said.
"In 2022, the pandemic and other global inflationary pressures are continuing to drive inequality, and with it demand for food parcels."
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times, Steven said foodbank users would "lose the plot" if kind-hearted people were not volunteering to help others.
By contrast, he felt the Ministry of Social Development (MSD)/Work and Income was indifferent to the struggles of the food-insecure, and he only approached them when it was unavoidable.
Rent and food costs were both high, he said.
"Unexpected bills pop up - it’s pay that or don’t get food," he said.
He believed the benefit should be increased and that food should not be taxed.
Dealing with the MSD/Work and Income was off-putting for the majority of those in the report, who felt judged and blamed for their situation.
They were also impeded by the bureaucratic nature of the system.
Foodbanks were more understanding, but not without problems.
Users raised the lack of options at foodbanks as a problem, although foodbanks were limited by what had been donated.
One user said eating a no-frills diet for months or years on end took a toll both psychologically and physically, while another said people had to live with dignity.
"You can’t just live off baked beans every day," he said.
Diabetic foodbank user Eleanor (66) struggled to find food she was supposed to eat.
"I never go hungry even though I don’t always eat what I’m supposed to eat."
Two Muslim foodbank users said ensuring food was halal was difficult, despite the efforts of the food bank charity.
A few participants also described receiving mouldy food, and former food bank user Hussein (46) said expired food should not be included.
"If you want to do something good, you should do it respectfully."
A common requirement or recommendation when collecting food parcels was to consult with a budget adviser, the report said.
"For most participants, it was not that they could not manage their money: they did not have enough money to manage with."
This and foodbanks’ close affiliation with Work and Income signalled foodbank users could not be trusted to make the right choices and cemented the idea people’s dependency on food charity was their own fault, the report said.
"This means that, despite the best efforts of those involved, shame is not only not minimised but potentially intensified."
Poverty blame was described as having self-disciplined the poor into science, and pitted society against them.
However, access to food was a human right that successive New Zealand governments had committed to.
The state therefore had an obligation to ensure access to food, the report stated.
A system in which charities worked to deal with the issue of food poverty was at odds with this, the report said.
"The dire situations described by food parcel recipients are not an unfortunate reality of life but a human rights disgrace."
While foodbanks generally relied on community support, the Ministry of Social Development has provided $32 million over 2020-23 to fund foodbanks, the report noted.
The report contained recommendations, ranging from open-door, no-questions-asked foodbank policies to lobbying the government.
It concluded by encouraging for churches and those involved in foodbanks to recognise the important role they had and give a voice to those who were overlooked.
