Money Mentors
Money Mentors remained steadfast in standing alongside whānau facing mounting financial pressure, including rising living costs, low incomes and limited room in household budgets. Amid a year of change, including the move of a long-serving Team Leader to another internal service, the small team has shown remarkable resilience and dedication, continuing to provide compassionate, practical support that helps whānau navigate financial hardship.
Financial Mentors, Rachel Coburn and Pelea Ngatoko
Many whānau are facing high living costs, low incomes, unemployment and limited or no surplus income, making it increasingly difficult to reduce debt or build financial resilience. This pressure is also showing up through more KiwiSaver hardship withdrawal applications, rent arrears across both social and private housing, and greater reliance on Buy Now, Pay Later services for essentials such as groceries and petrol.
Alongside one-to-one financial mentoring, the team is strengthening its practical support for whānau.
A pilot group cooking programme is being developed in partnership with the Kai Services Manager, combining shopping, meal planning, cooking and financial literacy skills. The team is also learning from other financial mentoring services and exploring tools that could make administration more efficient, including bank statement processing systems.
Over the year, Money Mentors helped retire $397,483.27 in debt, while continuing to connect clients with wider Visionwest services and community supports. Referrals have helped some clients access housing support, while others have been connected with services such as Mums in Need, CADS, navigation support, and appropriate WINZ entitlements. The team is proud of the way it supports whānau through complex hardship, recognising that financial wellbeing is closely linked with housing, health, employment, stability and overall wellbeing.
