July 04, 2024
Budget service cuts leave Māori at risk
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Budget advisors are calling for an urgent review of the decision to cut government funding from 44 of the country’s 132 budgeting services.
Auckland Central Budgeting general manager Teresa White says demand for the services has been growing exponentially.
Up to 30 percent of those seeking help from her service are Maori or Pasifika, with common problems including people caught by loansharks or pawnbrokers, or who have over-extended themselves by borrowing for funerals, tangi or to send money to relatives overseas.
“Some of those loan companies give out loans that are actually illegal because they haven’t done the proper checks and balances in the first place so we are actually dealing with that side of things and getting good results for people,” Ms White says.
It’s a complex area to work in, and the closure of services means a huge amount of hard-won experience and expertise will be lost.