Cashless tourists to aid charity
A young couple trying to travel New Zealand without spending any money have promised to help out charitable causes in Wellington after copping a social media backlash.
Anna Karg, from Germany, and Australian partner Enoch Orious angered many readers after telling Stuff they ate at a Wellington soup kitchen earlier this week.
One commenter accused them of taking food from ‘‘the impoverished homeless of NZ’’. Another said soup kitchens were for people who could not afford to travel.
The couple issued a statement on Facebook yesterday after receiving ‘‘nasty comments’’ about their travel style, which eschews money in favour of trading, dumpster-diving and charity.
That included eating once at Wellington’s Sisters of Compassion soup kitchen, which appeared to be a sore point for many readers.
They say they have since volunteered at The Free Store in central Wellington, and hoped to involve themselves with more charity organisations in the city.
They pointed out that Orious had been living in New Zealand for most of his life, and that Karg had spent ‘‘several thousand euro’’ on her first visit here a few years ago.
‘‘Also, we both started volunteering at The Free Store today and are about to get involved in even more charity work in Wellington and hopefully many other places in NZ as well.’’
Karen Holland, manager of the Sisters of Compassion Soup Kitchen, where the couple ate, said it was not for her to judge how they lived their lives.
The charity’s kaupapa was based around offering hospitality to whoever needed its help, and it turned nobody away.
However, she said she was disappointed by the division the travellers’ actions had caused within the community.
Wellingtonians felt a sense of ownership around the soup kitchen, because they donated to it, and give it their time.
‘‘And it makes them angry, and it hurts them to think that someone would disrespect that,’’ Holland said.
‘‘They see it as disrespect for the sisters and the work of Compassion, when there are so many
The couple's travel style eschews money in favour of trading, dumpster-diving and charity.
people genuine in need.’’
Karg and Orious said to their critics: ‘‘Open your eyes and see that we are not the reason for your suffering or your hurting. We are all just puppets in this game.
‘‘Your taxes get taken from you if you want it or not, and distributed to many places. We both have been working before, we both have been part of it.
‘‘If you really want to be angry at somebody, don’t blame us – blame the system.’’
Orious said the couple were tired of media attention, and ‘‘the truth would come out’’.
Karg is understood to have a visitor visa.
Immigration New Zealand area manager Marcelle Foley said holders of visitor visas ‘‘can holiday and sight-see, visit family and friends and enjoy New Zealand as a visitor’’.
‘‘Undertaking work while on this visa would mean the applicant is in breach of their visa conditions, which could result in the visa being cancelled and the applicant becoming liable for deportation.’’
Work meant any activity undertaken for gain or reward, and included any payment or benefit with a monetary value.
Begging or soliciting donations could also be considered to be an activity undertaken for gain or reward, Foley said.