Far North CAB has ‘done pretty well’
Far North Citizens Advice Bureau chair Gay Ansley and manager Monika Krattenmacher were very grateful to hear, after an internal assessment by the national organisation, that the Far North CAB had done “pretty well.”
Those who attended last week’s annual general meeting in Kerikeri clearly drew the same conclusion.
Ms Ansley’s annual report made it clear that the bureau had had another busy, productive year, with no diminishing of demand.
“While people moving north for the climate and a better lifestyle bring affluence with them, it is no secret that a large segment of our population suffers from immense poverty and a lack of opportunities,” she said.
“Many of our clients may not have transport, and public transport here in the North is sadly lacking. A reasonable number of clients don’t have access to a computer; either they can’t afford the cost associated with being on the web, or they simply don’t have a signal, so it stands to reason that a lot of our inquiries come through the telephone.”
The organisation had set up an 0800 number so prison inmates could call their nearest bureau, and calls were being received from the prison at Ngawha, from people who would otherwise have no access to help outside the prison.
Legal queries had been the biggest inquiry category over the past year, and the weekly JP clinics at the Procter Library were highly valued.
“It’s not surprising that an
enormous range of legal and social issues across the spectrum regularly confront us, and it is those who cannot afford to engage the services of a lawyer on a regular basis who come to use for guidance,” she added.
“We are in the front line as a distressed person’s first port of call, and this demands that we understand the complexities of the issues with non-judgemental empathy.”
Meanwhile treasurer Gage Latell reported that the bureau was in a stable financial position, with little change from the previous year, Ms Krattenmacher noting that the year had begun with 32 bureau workers and six trainees, and ended with 35 trained workers and two trainees.
Client inquiries had fallen from 2737 over the previous year to 2668, but website visits had increased from 554 to 907. Most inquiries had been in the fields of legal, consumer and community issues, family and personal issues increasing significantly to overtake financial matters.
The meeting ended with a brief address from Jenny Monks, a volunteer from Birkenhead and one of two northern region representatives on the national board, and the presentation of service certificates to Christine Townsend, Peter and Jane Binstead, all of whom had given the organisation 15 years.