Not sure? Ask the Citizens Advice Bureau

Tama recently bought a phone, and doesn’t know what his rights are now it’s stopped working. Laurinda’s landlord refuses to refund her bond and she wonders what she can do about it. Barry and Pat are separating and need to sort out the shared care of their children. Fan’s neighbour keeps parking in the shared driveway. Asil recently migrated to New Zealand and wants to find a GP.

“These are the sorts of issues people bring every day to the 83 Citizens Advice Bureaux across New Zealand. We sit down with them and help them work through what their options are”, says Kerry Dalton, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand.

“The CAB service is provided by 2400 volunteers throughout NZ. All our volunteers have undergone intensive training, as well as regular on-going learning sessions so they are up-to-date with legislation and policy changes”, says Ms Dalton. “Last year our volunteers helped with over 530,000 enquiries throughout the country”.

“The CAB has got an enormous wealth of information online, which complements our volunteers’ knowledge and skills. From our websitewww.cab.org.nz you can find services and information on all manner of topics, from clubs in your neighbourhood to how to deal with a dispute.”

“If you can’t find what you’re looking for on our website, or you still have questions after reading the information, you just can’t beat talking to someone about it. That’s what the CAB is for. And language shouldn’t be a barrier, as we have a specialist language service, CAB Language Link which helps people via phone and email in 25 different languages. Many of our volunteers around the country also speak another language, so if you aren’t confident in English there’s a good chance we’ll be able to help you in your own language.”

“Some people don’t realise that Citizens Advice Bureau is an independent service“, Ms Dalton says. We aren’t a government agency and we aren’t aligned with any businesses or organisations. So you can be sure that when you visit a bureau you will get balanced, objective information and options to help you decide on your next step.”

“Anyone can contact the CAB to find out about anything. Our service is free and open to all.”

ENDS

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