With plenty of plenty of free food and activities on offer, the Have a Heart Expo attracted 2500 people to Rex Morpeth Park last weekend.

Have a Heart Founder Chris Barnard said the day went “very, very well” with 2000 sausages dished out, 1000 pieces of fruit, 970 hangi meals and plenty of popcorn.

Crowds turned out early, and all the food had been dispersed before 12pm.

One of the hangi steamers failed on the day, but many who had pre-purchased tickets were happy to take their raw portions home and put them in the oven for dinner.

With over 700 children participating in this year’s treasure hunt through the organisations’ stalls, the expo achieved record enrolments.

Mr Barnard said feedback from the social agencies attending the expo was great, and they were able to form connections with attendees.

“The whole aim of showcasing these agencies was really to build connections in a non-threatening environment,” he said.

“These agencies now have lots of people they can follow up over the next couple of weeks.”

The event was emceed by Andy Galbraith and Ange Jackson, with live music provided by a range of local performers including DJ No-hands, Soultear and Michael Davies.

He said some of the children who have been coming for the past 10 years were now teenagers, and many knew the social services “off by heart”.

“They get to form relationships with these services from a young age and are able to remember the names of social service providers.

“For children to learn they can also ask for help, they can also have a voice, it made me very happy seeing so many children there.”

The prizegiving was filled with generous gifts for those competing in the treasure hunt, including vouchers from Kmart, GameZone, Whakamax and Harvey Norman. Bikes and air fryers were also up for grabs.

“A big thank you to everyone who supported the project, especially all our volunteers, we couldn’t do this without them,” Mr Barnard said.