Fair share of the cake

Financial hardship is very real here. It cuts across all demographics and effects the mental health and wellbeing of —families, sole traders, seniors, and even people who are doing everything right.

We are based and operate in the North Harbour area, but let’s be clear: just because this region is often seen as well-off doesn’t mean our community is free from need.

Our statistics have never been higher. For the third year running, we’ve seen increased demand for budgeting support. And it’s coming from every direction.

We support over 900 individual clients each year—not counting partners, children, or whānau. 40% of our clients are seniors, and that number is rising steadily. The reach of our service extends far beyond the individual—it touches whole households.

People in business for themselves, struggling with high debt and unable to pay themselves.
Beneficiaries who can’t afford basic every day cost of living.
Parents who simply can’t keep up with the basic costs of raising children including school uniforms or camp fees.
Seniors—living on set incomes—who are increasingly falling into hardship.

The toll on mental health and addiction

The consequences go far beyond money. We see the mental toll every day. Clients whose stress levels are through the roof.We’ve seen suicidality. We’ve seen the effects of debt on family dynamics—secrecy, breakdown, and family violence.

People hiding their hardship from their own families. One man we worked with had been made redundant and didn’t tell his partner for six to eight weeks—trying to keep up appearances until it all imploded. It's a real life issue and major contributor to mental health and a trigger for addiction.

One child we supported received a birthday gift organised through our service. She tried to give it back—so her mother could return it to the shop. She knew her mum couldn’t afford it. That story still breaks my heart.

An impact on the wellbeing of our seniors

Many seniors become isolated. They don’t ask for help. We often hear from them only after hospitals or other agencies realise they’ve got no food in the house, or they’re not using power to keep their bills down. That’s how invisible some of this hardship is.

Experience and trust counts

We’ve been here for a long time—over 30 years. North Harbour Budgeting was originally formed through Citizens Advice Bureaux across the North Shore and Hibiscus Coast.We’ve operated independently for 21 years, but our whakapapa still connects us to that early community work.

We provide two core services.

Support

First, we meet people in hardship where they’re at. We help with debt, rent arrears, Work and Income, and cost-of-living crises. We work face to face, by phone, email, Zoom—whatever’s needed to make support accessible. We even offer after-hours appointments, because we know people can’t always take time off work to see us.

Education

The second service is just as important: financial education. We work with people to foster good financial literacy and if possible prevent hardship.

Working with Youthline, we support rangatahi aged 15–19, helping them build financial literacy early.
We work in Paremoremo Prison—supporting prisoners and their whānau, so they don’t re-enter the community burdened by debt.
We also work with Community Corrections, running literacy programmes for people on probation or community service.
We support small business owners and sole traders, many of whom quietly struggle behind the scenes.

We’re a small team of Paid and Volunteer financial mentors, supported by a strong Board.. We’re all FINCAP-trained and stay active in our community networks. We aren’t a wraparound service—but we wrap around our clients by working closely with others who are, like Youthline, community groups, food support services, Housing support providers—together, we endeavour to make sure no one falls through the cracks

Even the best budgeters need funding

For years, we were funded through a government contract. That funding was lost in the most recent tender round. We are challenging that process, but as it stands, we are now 100% reliant on community grants. We apply rigorously—to lotteries, pub charities, COGS, pub charities —but the truth is, we’re often declined with the belief being it is due to our postcode.

There’s a persistent idea that the North Shore doesn’t need funding. But our experience—and our numbers—tell a different story. What’s worse, services listed as “available” in our area are often based in West Auckland. Clients in hardship can’t just jump in the car and cross the bridge for help. It’s not practical. It’s not fair. And it’s not working.

We are a high-performing, deeply rooted, culturally grounded community organisation, all we want is a fair share of the cake

So here’s my ask: if you’re in a position to help—through funding, sponsorship, or support—please get in touch. We’re good at budgeting. But we still need money to make it work.

Horizon Newsletter

The advocate for New Zealander's mental health