Community Link Upper Clutha general manager Kate Murray said the purpose of the campaign was to raise funds to support families struggling with the increased financial pressure winter brought, particularly the cost of heating their homes.
‘‘While we directly help with energy costs such as firewood, electricity, gas and diesel, we often find that by the time families come to us, they’re already going through a really tough period, and then we’re able to support them more broadly,’’ she said.
Winter brought particular challenges for households in Wānaka, with the high cost of housing stretching many incomes to a point where impossible choices had to be made, Ms Murray said.
‘‘Wānaka is a really expensive place to live and it has... workers who aren’t paid at the top end of incomes.
‘‘You put all that together and you end up with a third of households in Wānaka who live with little or no disposable income.’’
For families just getting by from spring to autumn, increased utility bills in winter could push families to breaking point, she said.
‘‘If you’re living week to week with no, or very little, disposable income, and then you add the cost of firewood and energy, it just creates so much pressure on families.
‘‘We saw an incredibly wide range of people needing help last year.
‘‘Everything from older people recovering from an operation and returning to live in Wānaka in a cold home with no support, to long-term locals who work in retail.’’
Financial support for the Cold Kids Campaign had grown significantly in recent years, but inflationary pressures meant demand was continuing to grow, she said.
‘‘In 2024, we raised about $35,000, but last year we thought we were in the middle of this inflationary spike.
‘‘The price of food, electricity and firewood had drastically increased, and we forecast that we would probably need to raise about $65,000 to support the increased demand for help that we anticipated.
‘‘Thankfully, we raised about $85,000 from the community in 2025, which was amazing, but little did we know that we’d have the issues caused by the fuel crisis this year.
‘‘We’ve forecast another 25% to 30% increase in demand, but it’s a pure guess.
‘‘When you look at what’s happened to the price of fuel in the last four weeks, and the way that feeds into other costs, it’s going to increase the financial pressure on households in Wānaka.’’
This year’s Cold Kids Campaign got off to a flying start, benefiting from the 2026 Wānaka Golf Club Charity Golf Tournament.
The tournament raised $48,000 for the Cold Kids Campaign, but with increased demand anticipated, every dollar would help to get vulnerable families through the winter.
Ms Murray said the most effective way to contribute to the campaign was to make a donation on the Community Link Upper Clutha website.
‘‘Anyone needing some support or just a question on accessing some help if they are having a tough time, call us on 03 443-7799 or drop into Community Link on McDougall St,’’ Ms Murray said.
