 |
Not Sure? Ask Us with |
This month I am handing over my column to Sam Stubbs, who is the managing director of KiwiSaver fund Simplicity. He recently wrote his view on the value of Citizens Advice Bureau. See below.
New Zealand is powered by volunteers, from sports coaches to charity workers. Yet many of these essential organisations, like the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), operate on tiny budgets and are often taken for granted by government and businesses.
CAB is one of New Zealand’s hero organisations. With 2000 volunteers across 80 locations, they help thousands each year – providing more than 94,000 face-to-face meetings, 110,000 phone calls, and more than 16,000 emails and online chats in 2024 alone. Many of those they assist can’t or won’t access services online, yet government agencies and banks increasingly push people online to save costs – while quietly sending many to CAB for help.
The problem? CAB is doing more with less. Their national funding was just $1.7 million in 2024 – equivalent to 30 minutes of health spending or 90 minutes of bank profits. To put it in perspective, a single $586 million Air Force plane could fund CAB for 344 years.
Stubbs argues the Government could easily double CAB’s funding and still meet its broader spending goals, making a huge difference to vulnerable Kiwis. The same applies to other trusted charities like Women’s Refuge, Food Banks, SPCA and Hospices.
Big businesses must also do more, with corporate giving making up only 15% of charitable donations. A target of 1% of profits would barely affect shareholders but have a massive community impact.
Properly funding volunteer-led services is one of New Zealand’s smartest social investments.