No whānau in Aotearoa should have to endure extended hardship because of displacement or loss of work due to a health condition or disability. The Tripartite Working Group, which is comprised of Business New Zealand, the Government, and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions,...
Whānau should not face a position where lending that was always going to be unaffordable causes or compounds hardship. The onus must be on lenders to not disregard that collection on due repayments is likely to cause harm. We strongly recommend in this submission that lenders...
What’s the difference between a quantity surveyor and a financial mentor? “In commercial construction, a calculation error can be the end of your career,” says former senior financial mentor Iain Davies (pictured above). Iain clocked up 10 years working for his West Auckland community at CARE Waitakere,...
Everyone in Aotearoa should have easy access to helpful information when engaging with public services. FinCap strongly supports the need for plain language in official documents and websites. FinCap recommends that decision-makers also support work on inclusion and accessibility to essential services for all whānau in...
In a world where women are still struggling to meet the same level of financial wellbeing as men, one woman from Paeroa has been able to exceed these expectations for her whānau. Paeroa Budgeting Services – part of the Paeroa Community Support Trust (PCST) – have...
FinCap welcomes the Government’s ongoing commitment to safe lending. Laws requiring all lenders to have robust processes to only sell suitable and affordable loans will continue to prevent harm in our communities. This morning Minister Clark announced some practical updates that focus lenders by further clarifying...
A functional cash system must be maintained as a safety net to stop absolute exclusion from full social participation but there should also be work to realise a right to essential services and lower chances that whānau are vulnerable to having no choice but using...
On Tuesday 8 March ActionStation, Christians Against Poverty (CAP), Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), Debtfix, FinCap, Good Shepherd NZ, Muaūpoko Tribal Authority, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions - Te Kauae Kaimahi (NZCTU), Ngā Tāngata Microfinance and The Salvation Army sent a joint letter to all...
In July, Tauranga Budget Advisory Services will celebrate 50 years of supporting the financial well-being of people from Katikati to Otamarakau. Although they have been a pillar of support for the Bay of Plenty community for half a century, they have remained agile. Tauranga Budget Advisory...
There is a couple the team at Financial Mentoring Service (Budget Advisory Service Whakatane Inc) (pictured above) have been supporting for a few years – but they are still to be seen at the service in 2022. While this may often be a cause for concern,...