They say there is no such thing as a free dinner – but Papakura Marae is proving that wrong.
Every Thursday night, the community is welcomed to Papakura Marae for kai.
Papakura Local Board deputy chair Felicity Auva’a and the board’s strategic broker Tracey Hainsworth-Faaofo were at the marae this week helping serve the meal to about 200 people.
"Papakura has some wonderful assets and one of them is the marae," Felicity says.
"We are blessed to have so many good people operating a range of services to help whanau out of the marae."
Auckland Emergency Management staff were also on hand, with advice for crisis situations and giveaways to reinforce the 'be prepared' safety message.
"With Neighbours Day being celebrated throughout the week, what better time to get an important message to the community than by visiting the people where they are, at the marae," Felicity says.
The key message shared help prepare the community for an emergency, while the spot prizes and giveaways contain useful items such as portable phone chargers, lights, battery packs, first aid kits and bilingual books for tamariki on what to do in an emergency.
