Essential support services are operating during all COVID-19 Alert Level's. Below you'll find a variety of online shopping links, helplines, communities to connect with, and financial support services, to ease the stress of life in isolation.
You can always contact Haumaru Housing on info@haumaruhousing.co.nz or by calling on 0800 430 101 if you’ve any concerns or require additional support. Please be reassured that you’re not alone and we’ll always help in whatever way we can.
During Alert Level's 3 & 4 GP practices may only be contacted via phone. Reception will take details and have a doctor call the patient back within the day. Only after the phone consultation will a patient be invited to attend at the practice. Doctors will fax prescriptions to the pharmacy nearest to the patient’s home.
Pharmacies are open and clients can pick up their prescription at any time. If unable to leave the house, you can call the pharmacy which will organise for a courier to deliver the prescription for a fee. Many organisations volunteer to pick up your prescription and deliver it to you.
If you can't contact your GP the following information is here to help:
Information from covid19.govt.nz/#faqs
Essential services remain open at all Alert Levels. This includes supermarkets, banks, GPs, pharmacies, service stations, couriers and other important frontline service providers. You can arrange to have your shopping delivered, or have family, friends or neighbours drop off food or groceries. You just need to ask them to leave these at the door, rather than come in. Drop-offs at the door, rather than coming in, will protect them from exposure to COVID-19. If visiting a store in person, you must retain social distancing of 2 metres, and wash your hands before and after visiting. See below for more information about shopping safely:
If you can’t access food or essential items yourself or with the help of whānau, friends, iwi, neighbours or community providers, there is urgent assistance available. If you are not eligible for support from Work and Income and you don’t have a way to access essential supplies yourself, you can contact your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (CDEM). However, if you have immediate urgent food needs then you should ring your local CDEM Group directly. The service operates seven days a week from 7am to 7pm. If you find yourself in this situation, please phone your local CDEM Group. The number for your local CDEM Group is on the National Emergency Management Agency website.
You can also order food online from the following places:
Information from covid19.govt.nz/#faqs
If over the following days and weeks you feel you are not coping, it’s important to seek help and professional support. Your family doctor is a good starting point. For support with grief, anxiety, distress or mental wellbeing, you can also call or text the 'Need to talk?' service on 1737. This service is free, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and gives you the chance to talk it through with a trained counsellor. There are a few different services offering phone support, if you need to talk, contact any of the links below.
Information from covid19.govt.nz/#faqs
The Government is acting to support people in New Zealand through these changes, your usual financial support, such as benefits, will continue, click here for more information. If you need financial assistance you can call the free Government helpline 0800 779 997 (7 days a week).
All banks have been classed as an essential service and continue to operate remotely. ATM machines are all maintained and functioning, with the exception of those in malls. All banks are opened to the public for particularly difficult transactions or enquiries on Wednesdays, generally from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm. Banking customers can perform a number of transactions by calling the relevant bank 0800 number.
All power companies have multiple payment options: they can accept credit/debit card payments over the phone and set up a Direct Debit for you. They know that this is a difficult time and are lenient in case of overdue accounts: they offer tailored payment plans and can send referrals to WINZ, to see if clients are eligible for financial support.
The following links are also here to help:
If you're looking for specific information which we haven't featured above, please let us know how we can help by emailing info@haumaruhousing.co.nz or by calling on 0800 430 101 or you may find what you're looking for on the following websites:
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