Church plan for low-cost cafe to feed hundreds shunned by locals

An Auckland church's plans to help feed more than 500 people a day with low-cost meals have raised concerns from locals and businesses who fear it will be detrimental for the area.

By Torika Tokalau, Local Democracy Reporter

St Mary by the Sea wants to start a social enterprise in Browns Bay, operating as a café during the day and transforming into a community hub, serving low-cost meals at night.

It’s part of the Anglican church’s plan to move from its long-term home in Torbay, after struggling to maintain its current facilities.

The church has an ambitious goal of feeding more than 500 people a day, five evenings a week, to help people struggling with rising living costs.

But the proposal has been criticised by locals, who say it will have a negative impact on locals and businesses.

A local councillor said she had been approached by locals with their concerns and was monitoring the situation.

Multiple people discussing it on the community Facebook page were concerned about the type of people the “free food” would attract.

“Low cost meals – problems. I don't agree at all. It will turn Browns Bay into a crime ridden area. Bad idea! Where do we sign a petition against this?” one person said.

“The church should go where the need is greatest. Not Browns Bay,” said another.

Reverend Dion Blundell said the North Shore was not exempt from the rising living costs, and many in the community were struggling.

He said the majority of people accessing support through the church’s food bank in Browns Bay were hard-working families.

“People think poverty doesn’t exist on the North Shore,” he said.

“We have to acknowledge the issues that are within the community, ignoring them doesn’t make them go away.”

Blundell said poverty on the North Shore was hidden, and often people were scared to step out to ask for help.

“These needs are real and they’re here. But, we have some people who think that everything is OK and it’s not.“

The low-cost meals would cost around $5 to $6, and people could donate a meal for someone else, so those who couldn't afford one could still eat.

Blundell said they anticipated families picking up dinner on their way home from sports, and individuals facing financial hardship.

But everything was on hold until it sold its Torbay site.

“Browns Bay is the best area for foot traffic. We’ve been here before, it’s what we know. It’s an area set up for what we want to do.”

However, the Browns Bay Business Association believes it can have the same impact – elsewhere.

Town centre manager Kim Murdoch said the church’s proposal may be best suited outside of the township.

She said a recent survey showed 75% of businesses in the town centre had concerns about the community hub element of the cafe. They had 300 businesses and 100 responded to the survey.

“It might detrimentally affect their businesses by offering low cost meals, and potentially affect the safety of the town centre by bringing people in from other areas,” Murdoch said.

She said the church was looking at one specific venue in the centre of the town, but the business association has suggested several other locations outside the township.

“We wholeheartedly agree with initiative, we think it’s a great thing and we do acknowledge that there is a need on the North Shore, that there is food deprivation at the moment, definitely in this economic climate.

“We don’t agree that the building is the correct location or fit for purpose for their purposes. We are trying to help them find suitable premises’.”

Murdoch said the association was willing to assist the church in any way it could.

“We are fully supportive of their mission. We do think it’s for the right reasons, we just don’t believe that the centre of Browns Bay is the correct location for it.”

Blundell said fears that the community hub will attract the wrong type of people into Browns Bay was pure speculation.

“It’s people creating a picture that this is going to worsen the area. We would say that it’s not, we think differently.”

Albany councillor Victoria Short said she’d been contacted by the business association and a significant number of residents about their concerns.

In her recent update to the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board, Short said concerns related to the social enterprise component of the project, and the potential impacts on the Browns Bay town centre.

She said she was monitoring the situation closely and had discussed it with council staff.

“Their advice is clear: This is a private venture on private land. Provided the church meets all permitted activity, regulatory and compliance requirements, the decision to operate a social enterprise model is a commercial one for the landowner.”

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.