Access to food and essential items

Talk to your family, whānau, friends and neighbours to see if they could deliver essential items to you.

Try food delivery such as supermarket home delivery, food parcels, frozen pre-prepared meals, subscription food boxes (like My Food Bag and Hello Fresh) or any other whole-food delivery service.

If you need food urgently, your local foodbank may be able to help.

Find your local foodbank(external link)

You can get financial assistance for food through Work and Income.

• Call 0800 559 009
• Online MyMSD(external link)

Support for whānau

Whānau Ora helps whānau access health and welfare services, and meet basic needs for food, accommodation, heating, internet connectivity, water and sewerage.

You can contact Whānau Ora on:

• 0800 929 282 if you are in the North Island
• 0800 187 689 if you are in the South Island

Financial support

COVID-19 Vaccination

If you are eligible, you can book your COVID-19 vaccination now.

• Book online — visit Book My Vaccine (external link)
• Book by phone — call the COVID Vaccination Healthline on 0800 28 29 26 (8am to 8pm, 7 days a week).

COVID-19 vaccines

NZ COVID Tracer App

If you have questions or feedback about the NZ COVID Tracer app:

• call 0800 800 606 on Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
• get help generating your official QR code posters by emailing help@covidtracer.min.health.nz
• email your query or feedback to help@covidtracer.min.health.nz

In your email, include your phone’s make and model, the operating system you’re running and, if your query relates to an issue you are experiencing, a brief description of the issue.

Business Advice

A free COVID-19 business helpline service is available for all New Zealand businesses. This includes sole traders.

Get support and advice on:

• government financial support, for example Wage Subsidy Scheme and Resurgence Support Payment
• what different Alert Levels mean for your business
• business continuity
• finding free or subsidised expert help, for example a business mentor or advisor.

Employers can also get specific advice on people challenges, including staffing changes, employee wellness, and meeting your health and safety obligations.

To find out more call 0800 500 362 for North Island, or 0800 50 50 96 for South Island.

Operating at Alert Level 4

If you have an enquiry about the Alert Level 4 rules or if you are unsure if you can operate, you can call 0800 424 946 for advice.

Finding a Job

Contact Work and Income if you’re looking for work or have a vacancy that needs to be filled.

Wellbeing helplines and support

If you feel you’re not coping, or you have concerns for others, it’s important to talk with a Health professional. The following helplines are available for people needing help.

Addiction Support

The Alcohol Drug Helpline offers free support if you have concerns about your drinking and drug use, or  someone else’s. A trained counsellor is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• 0800 787 79
• Text 8681

Child Safty

Call Oranga Tamariki if a child or young person is unsafe, not being cared for, or separated from their parents or caregivers.

• 0508 326 459
• www.orangatamariki.govt.nz

Family violence services

• Women’s Refuge — call 0800 733 843 (0800 REFUGE) for 24-hour service advocacy and accommodation for women and their children experiencing family violence
  Find out more about Women’s Refuge(external link)(external link)

• Shine domestic abuse services — free call 0508 744 633 (9am to 11pm) if you are experiencing domestic abuse, or want to know how to help someone else
  Find out more about Shine’s helpline(external link)(external link)

• Family violence information line — call 0800 456 450 to find out about local services or how to help someone near you
  Find out more about family violence and getting help(external link)(external link)

• Elder Abuse Helpline — call 0800 32 668 65 (0800 EA NOT OK). 24-hour service answered by registered nurses who can connect to local elder abuse specialist providers
  Here are signs of elder abuse or neglect to look out for(external link)(external link)

• Shakti New Zealand — call 0800 742 584 for culturally competent support services for women, children and families of Asian, African and Middle Eastern origin who have experienced domestic violence
  Find out more about Shakti New Zealand

Mental wellbeing helplines

If you feel you are not coping, it is important to talk with a health professional. There are helplines available that offer support, information and help. All services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Need to Talk? — free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
  Find out more about Need to Talk? 1737(external link)(external link)

• Youthline — call 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
  Chat online or find out more at Youthline(external link)(external link)

• What's Up? — call 0800 942 8787 — a safe place for tamariki and rangatahi to talk.
  Find out more about What's Up?(external link)(external link)

• Skylight — call 0800 299 100 helping children, young people and their families and whānau through tough times of change, loss, trauma and grief
  Find out more about Skylight(external link)(external link)

• Lifeline — 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
  Find out more about Lifeline(external link)(external link)

• Suicide Crisis Helpline — 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
  Find out more about the Suicide Crisis Helpline(external link)(external link)

• Depression and Anxiety Helpline — 0800 111 757 or free text 4202 to talk to a trained counsellor about how you are feeling or to ask any questions.
  Find out more about the Depression and Anxiety Helpline(external link)(external link)

• Anxiety phone line — 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY)
  Find out more about the Anxiety phone line(external link)(external link)

• Family Services 211 Helpline 0800 211 211 — for help finding, and direct transfer to, community-based health and social support services in your area
  Visit the Family Services Directory online(external link)(external link)

• OUTline NZ — call 0800 688 5463 for confidential telephone support for sexuality or gender identity issues
  Find out more about OUTline

Sexual violence services

• Better Blokes — call 09 378 8812 or email manager@betterblokes.org.nz for free peer support for male survivors of sexual abuse
  Find out more about Better Blokes(external link)(external link)

• Safe to Talk — sexual harm helpline. Call 0800 044 334, text 4334 or email support@safetotalk.nz
  Chat to counsellors online or find out more at Safe to Talk(external link)(external link)

• Male Survivors Aotearoa New Zealand — call 0800 044 344. Offers one-to-one, peer and support groups for male survivors of sexual abuse and their significant others
  Find out more about Male Survivors Aotearoa New Zealand(external link)(external link)

• Tu Wahine Trust — call 09 838 8700 for kaupapa Māori counselling, therapy and support for survivors of sexual harm (mahi tukino) and violence within whānau Find out more about Tu Wahine Trust(external link)(external link)

• ACC Sensitive Claims Unit — call 0800 735 566 for access to services related to sexual abuse or sexual assault Find out more about accessing services via the ACC Sensitive Claims Unit