Haven for those in need, Merge Cafe may close without $60k help
A community cafe on Auckland's Karangahape Rd may be forced to close if it cannot raise $60,000 by the end of the month. For more than a decade, Merge Cafe has been a space where the city's homeless can grab a tea or coffee, a hot meal and have a chat with a peer support worker. But for months it has been running at a loss, due largely to the cancellation of key fundraising events on the back of Auckland's repeated Covid-19 lockdowns. Checkpoint visited the cafe to hear what its closure would mean for those who rely on it. Here's our reporter Nick Truebridge and cameraman Nick Monro.