Vital Kerikeri budgeting service closes due to lack of funds

Hundreds of families in and around Kerikeri now face a 64km round trip for budgeting advice after the Northern Community Family Service closed its doors due to lack of funds.

Struggling families in and around Kerikeri face long trips to get much-needed financial advice after the town’s budgeting and family service was forced to close due to lack of funds.

Northern Community Family Service closed its doors on Friday, March 28, after more than 25 years as it was unable to get the funds - about $70-$80,000 a year - to keep running.

Practice manager Glenda and financial mentor Christine (both did not want their surnames used due to the nature of the work) are upset that the vital service, which helps hundreds of people a year, has to shut down.

Northern Community Family Service was started in 1999 by Milton and Jo David, operating as Community Budgeting Service. Milton David still sits on the board and many of its board members have supported the agency for 10 years or more, which shows their belief in the need for the services NCFS provides, practice manager Glenda said.

Community Budgeting Service changed its name to Northern Community Family Service in 2016 due to the need for not only financial mentoring, but whānau support services.

However, due to difficulty in getting ongoing funding to meet operating costs, the vital service has shut its doors at the Kerikeri Baptist Church, from where it has been operating.

Since the service’s plight and impending closure was highlighted, they had received some emails and support from within the community, but nobody could come up with the money needed to keep it going.

“Many of the people who come to us have real issues that they need help with, and with us having to close I’m really worried what will happen,” Glenda said.

“Many need budgeting advice, relationship help, they may have alcohol and drug issues, stress and anxiety, so many issues that we can help them with. But now they will have to go to Kaikohe or Kaitāia for help.”

Kaikohe is a 64km round trip from the Kerikeri office while Kaitāia is almost a 200km round trip.

Most of the service’s clients would not be able to afford to get to either place. Those services were also likely to have a high demand, so may not have room for any more clients.

Glenda said they were seeing more of the “working poor”.

“We’ve got mum and dad both working, but it may be that dad’s wages only cover the rent or the mortgage and power, and mum’s just pays for groceries and that leaves little for anything else, so they are struggling. It’s not just the unemployed who are finding it hard out there.”

With so much competition for funding, the service was finding it hard to get enough to guarantee more than three months’ service, so the hard decision was made to close.