CAB meeting an ongoing need
Close to 3000 people turn to the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) Far North every year, many of them facing a basic dilemma — what are my rights?
Whether the issues were legal, consumer or community rights, volunteer workers at the Kerikeri-based bureau were trained to guide people through their misgivings and provide them with an appropriate avenue to resolve those issues, chair Gay Ansley said.
On a broader scale, Discover your rights was the theme of this year’s CAB national awareness week, starting on Monday, described by CAB New Zealand as a call to action for people to be informed about their rights and be empowered to act on them.
In the year ending June 30 client 2737 enquiries were made to the Far North Bureau, compared 2680 the previous year, close to a quarter of them related to legal issues and interaction with government agencies.
Ms Ansley said the Far North bureau helped people from throughout the district, from Towai to Cape Reinga, the Bay of Islands and across to the Hokianga.
Enquiries were made via visits to the bureau, telephone and occasionally email.
“We work to find answers to their problems and empower them to solve their issues,” she said.
Community and consumer enquiries both came in at 15 per cent last year, followed by family and personal, finance and benefits (both 10 per cent).
No less important were a range of enquiries covering education, employment and business, health, housing and land.
“Whether it’s about having a fair process in an employment dispute, being able to live in a home that isn’t leaking and full of mould, or getting full income support entitlements, these are all things that are about peoples’ rights,” CAB New Zealand said.
The CAB service is free, and all information received and support given is confidential (and impartial).
"We work to find answers to their problems and empower them to solve their issues." Gay Ansley
CAB Far North chair
■ The bureau is in the Procter Library in Cobham Rd, Kerikeri, freephone 0800 367-222, email farnorth@cab.org.nz. The office is open from 9.30 am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday.