CAP offers two free services – CAP Debt Help (debt counselling for people in unmanageable debt) and CAP Money (money management courses).

CAP Debt Help is a wrap-around service that reaches into communities from Whangarei to Dunedin, in partnership with 46 local churches.

• CAP’s free help starts by strengthening people’s financial position — visiting peoples’ homes, creating a budget to meet life’s needs — and advocating with money lenders to get unfair interest written off. Since rent, food and power are covered, people are free to focus on what’s most important to them. Doors are opened for people to start strengthening relationships with money, self, others and God.
• Over 2,400 New Zealanders in hardship have been freed from unmanageable debt — now financially resilient — and released to pursue their whānau goals for the future!

CAP Money courses are also offered free across Aotearoa. These courses have empowered over 18,000 people to spend, save and budget well.

When a person in unmanageable debt makes their first brave call to Christians Against Poverty, a team of specialists is standing by, ready to help. Prayer or karakia is always offered on this first phone call.

A Debt Coach and support worker, from the Debt Help Centre at the local church, then arranges to visit the client in their home, or at another location where they’re most comfortable to begin their journey. CAP Debt Coaches get to know individuals and whānau, taking care of immediate practical needs, such as helping them with paperwork, emergency provisions, and transport to appointments.

The Debt Coach helps the client to gather their debts and bills, and sends them to the CAP Support Office. Here, the team advocates on behalf of 400+ CAP client households every week.

CAP negotiates with creditors to get interest and payments lowered, helping clients to go debt free faster; and builds effective budgets that prioritise food and essentials. Sometimes CAP identifies that loans have been given out irresponsibly to clients, so CAP advocates for fairer outcomes in those situations.

Clients begin paying back their own debt, using their own income, at a rate they can afford. CAP does not pay back a cent of their debt, so its the client who does the hard work! Importantly, clients now have an ability to put food on the table for their whānau. CAP supports clients for the entire time it takes for them to repay their debt – usually taking two to four years. During this time clients pick up a kete/basket of money skills such as budgeting and saving — enabling their whānau to become financially resilient.

CAP takes a ‘with Jesus’ approach that cares for the whole person. In practice, this includes the local Debt Help team inviting people to church and church events, fixing cars, mowing lawns, etc. Clients know they’re no longer alone in their journey.

As CAP provides support, people encounter God’s love in practical ways. Over time, clients also grow in money wisdom, finding new abilities to set goals, take control and step into lives of renewed hope and freedom!

CAP’s client survey (2023) shows that 9 out of 10 of clients say that CAP is “Life-transforming or “A great help.”

CAP Money is a free, three-part course designed to help people spend, budget and save wisely. CAP Money is relevant to everyone, whether you’re entering a new life stage, facing reduced income or job loss, or simply wanting to do the best for your whānau. Taking CAP Money allows you to start managing your money — rather than your money managing you!

Over 18,000 people who have taken the CAP Money course have found that they are now able to pursue goals that are important to them and their whānau. Examples include saving for a house deposit, sleeping peacefully without money stress, or pursuing activities they love.

CAP Money courses are run in partnership with local churches. Depending on location, there are in-person and online course options running at various times. Find a course near you.

CAP partners with around 150 churches across Aotearoa to deliver free CAP Debt Help, as well as CAP Money courses.

There are Debt Help centres across the motu, including in: Dunedin, Ashburton, Christchurch, Blenheim, Nelson, Wellington, Paraparaumu, Porirua, Masterton, Levin, Palmerston North, Whanganui, Hastings, New Plymouth, Eltham, Whakatāne, Rotorua, Tauranga, Te Awamutu, Hamilton, Ngāruawāhia, Huntly, Auckland, Whangarei, Kaitaia.

CAP Money courses are often run online so in these cases they can be accessed anywhere in NZ/your own home — as long as you have internet.

There are CAP Money in-person and online course options running at various times throughout the year. Find out if there’s a course you can attend here.

CAP’s Support Office is in Penrose, Auckland.

No. Whoever you are, whatever you believe – or don’t believe – CAP welcomes you! CAP is motivated by Jesus’ example — caring for people’s whole selves. CAP’s free help focuses on loving neighbours and helping people in need in practical ways —relationally, as well as spiritually.

At first glance, some clients’ financial choices (before coming to CAP) may seem out of step with their means. However, behind the headline loan values, there is often a story of survival.

Before coming to CAP, one out of two CAP clients were regularly skipping meals because of debt*. Seven out of ten stayed away from others because of debt‡.

The roads leading to these situations vary, but in many cases, clients readily acknowledge a lack of knowledge/skills in handling money. Sometimes the costs of unforeseeable or unfortunate events such as job loss, sickness, and death are simply not able to be absorbed. There is often very little ‘buffer’ between a person’s income and their everyday expenses. Clients commonly carry positive intentions: their choices are often governed by what they think is best for their whānau at the time, even if that means taking on more debt.

When next week’s essential living costs are dependent on another loan, it produces an atmosphere of anxiety, stress, and sleepless nights. As debt spirals, low-cost credit becomes increasingly out of reach. It can lead people into situations where they are operating in survival mode for extended periods of time.

Without a rudder of financial capability, the only ‘way out’ can seem like a dubious lender who charges exorbitant fees, and high interest rates. CAP commonly finds that lenders do not always fulfil their responsibilities to conduct appropriate affordability assessments before approving the loan.

The bottom line for many New Zealanders experiencing debt and poverty is that it’s hard to make good choices when there are only bad options.

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*CAP client survey 2023    |    ‡CAP client survey 2021

Further context: 

41% of all New Zealanders have less than $1000 available to them in their savings. – ASB August 2022

15% of New Zealanders have NO savings – consumer.org.nz, October 2021

CAP Debt Help continues to be over-subscribed in certain areas. Where there is a waitlist of three months or more, CAP sadly needs to turn some families away or refer people to other services. CAP is continually working to increase capacity and partnerships in over-subscribed areas, as well as areas where there are no Debt Help centres.

If your church would like to partner with CAP to provide more support for clients, you can explore here.

For most Debt Help clients, their journey out of unmanagable debt to financial resilience takes two to four years. During this time, clients learn the importance of setting goals and sticking to a budget! All clients have savings built into their budgets – many for the first time in their lives.

As financial capability grows, people are able to navigate life when costly events happen — such as a car breaking down, having a baby, getting married, or medical costs.

The CAP Team assists them to plan for the use of those savings, supporting people and making budget adjustments as circumstances change.

The average amount of time for a CAP client to become completely debt free is two to four years.

The CAP team, together with the local church, walk alongside people throughout their entire journey out of debt, supporting them through life’s changes.

A feeling of release begins when people make that first call to Christians Against Poverty, where there is a team of specialists ready to help. Prayer is offered on this first phone call.

People, like Emma, say from the moment they first call CAP that they don’t feel alone anymore. Mel says “It feels like you are being held up. That no one’s going to let you fall.”

When we talk to CAP clients, this is what we’re hearing:

• Rising living costs are causing a lot of harm and further financial hardship for low-income and struggling households.
• It takes a lot of resourcefulness to manage a family budget with very little money.
• People are describing the stress of driving around with a fuel tank on almost empty.
• People in financial hardship spend proportionately more on essential living costs (such as transport, food, and housing) than do the average household.
• Just one thing going wrong —for instance  needing car repairs or a health issue — can lead some people to experience more severe hardship, or be drawn into taking on more debt.
• The emotional toll can be heavy as parents and caregivers constantly juggle ever-shrinking resources to meet the needs of their families.
• Before the cost-of-living crisis, ½ people who call CAP were already skipping meals, ⅗ were disconnecting themselves from family and social events and ⅖ said that they felt they couldn’t buy adequate clothes or shoes for their children.

Thankfully, CAP clients are receiving the extra support from the CAP Team they need in this time of increased living costs. In fact, 95% of current clients responded ‘yes’ or ‘somewhat’ when asked if working with CAP made it any easier to cope with the rising cost of essentials.

Motivated by Jesus’ example of serving people in need, CAP takes a ‘with Jesus’ approach that cares for the whole person.

Prayer and sharing the love of God with people is foundational to CAP’s mahi. The CAP team offers prayer/karakia over the phone from the very first call to CAP. Nine out of ten say they appreciate prayer*. Right up there in importance for clients, alongside help with money problems, is the relational care CAP provides — someone sitting with them, listening and offering support ‡. 

As clients encounter moments of peace in their lives that go beyond understanding, they’re invited to explore Jesus’ promise “Come to me, all of you who are tired, from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). This invitation to a relationship with Jesus is presented as Te Rongopai, the Good News.

CAP Debt Coaches take time to listen to people’s stories — hearing about clients’ strengths, challenges and goals. This enables coaches to provide responsive support along their journeys out of debt.

Each Debt Help Centre is powered by a local church, whose doors are open for people to become part of a community and explore a full life found in Jesus – this of course always remains an invitation, not an expectation.

CAP takes a conversational approach in sharing the gospel. People may not be open to spiritual conversations and CAP always respects this. CAP’s help remains free to all people, whoever you are, whatever you believe – or don’t believe – CAP welcomes you!

As money chaos ends, people find new headspace to start focusing on what is most important to them. Doors open for people to start strengthening their relationships… with money, self, others and God.

As clients and Debt Coaches kōrero, many people decide to take this further. It’s beautiful that over 1,430 precious people, like Gemma, have made a commitment, taking steps closer to Jesus — their stories unfolding in new and life-giving ways.

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*  88% in the client survey 2020
‡  71% in client survey 2021

CAP never pays a dollar of Debt Help clients’ debt. CAP clients repay their debt using their own income. They do the hard work of keeping to their budgets and making repayments on their debt! Since CAP began in New Zealand in 2008, more than $112 million in unmanageable debt and bills have been paid or written off.

To enable clients to go debt free faster, the team at CAP’s Support Office negotiates with clients’ creditors to get unfair interest and fees wiped. The team customises budgets to ensure essential living costs are met. This allows clients to sustainably live within their means, while paying off their debt — providing a huge sense of achievement.

This journey empowers each household to gain financial literacy skills. Importantly, clients have the backing of the CAP team every step of their journey, helping them to navigate life’s ups and downs.

The simplest way to donate is to head to capnz.org/donate where you can set up a regular or a one-off gift. If you’d prefer to set up a gift over the phone or by bank transfer you can do this too – see ‘other giving options’.

Giving weekly or monthly is the most effective way to bring life-transforming help to people – it lowers costs, which means your gift goes straight to work, helping families and individuals in need. The stability of your ongoing donation means CAP can deliver long-term solutions to support and advocate for people up and down Aotearoa. When you give monthly (or weekly) you join a group of supporters called CAP Life Changers – because you’re making a change to someone’s life each and every month!

If you’d like to talk to CAP about updating your contact information, your payment details or anything else, please call the team on 09 270 0334 or email supporters@capnz.org

If you are giving via automatic payment through your bank, you can easily change this yourself using your online banking (please let the Supporter Engagement Team know so we can update this on our side). If you’re giving via credit or debit card, please give the Supporter Engagement team a call on 09 270 0334 and they can make the change for you.

Yes. All donations over $5 are tax-rebateable. Donation tax receipts are posted or emailed mid-April, after the close of our financial year.

CAP automatically calculates your yearly donation amount at the 31st of March each year, and emails or posts your donation receipt. You should receive it towards the end of April each year.

You’re invited to pray for CAP clients. Could you pray that they would find stability amidst the ups and downs of life, and that they experience the love of God? You can also get involved with a CAP ministry at a local church, or even start working at CAP.

In those cases, the funding represented a small percentage of CAP’s total costs of providing free help and support to people in need.

Specific government-funded projects included:

• Covid-19 Response Funding — the government decided to fund social service organisations on the front lines to help meet the additional financial hardship caused by the pandemic.
• MSD Funding — Seven out of ten of CAP Debt Help clients receive some form of Ministry of Social Development (MSD Work and Income) benefit. CAP received some funding for a one-off project, which enabled MSD to examine whether CAP clients received the correct benefit income and/or entitlements. The findings aided a wider cross-section of New Zealanders receiving benefits – especially for those in financial hardship.

CAP is engaging with organisations across Aotearoa to create positive change. This includes informing relevant government agencies about Debt Help clients’ experience of money chaos, while advocating for change on their behalf. CAP engages with a heart and intent to find compassionate solutions to stem the causes of financial hardship and poverty.

While CAP recognises the important place of government in bringing about ‘upstream’ regulatory change, CAP’s core focus remains working with local communities. Alongside local churches CAP empowers whānau who are financially resilient, as they strengthen their relationships… with money, self, others and God.

CAP’s frontline workers and support office staff have undertaken privacy training, including the Privacy Commission’s ABC training, which teaches what can and cannot be shared about clients with others, as well as giving guidance on how to respond if privacy issues arise.

CAP shares stories of clients’ journeys in newsletters and emails, as well as on CAP’s website and social media — always upholding peoples’ inherent strengths, dignity and mana. Clients who share their stories may choose to remain anonymous (using a pseudonym and stock photos) and can also specify which platforms they’re comfortable for their story to be shared on.

View CAP NZ’s privacy statement.