“As a small business owner who has really struggled for two years through the impact of COVID-19 and long lockdowns and loss of custom, now I am facing a rise in cost of living, inflation and mortgage payments. I had proudly been a debt-free individual, but I started struggling with so many things beyond my control. I needed to prioritise my life so that I could keep my business afloat and ultimately leave a legacy for my family. But the truth was I was only treading water: finding the money to pay staff, cover the mortgage, buy groceries and put petrol in the car. I couldn’t breathe. It felt like Groundhog Day. Then came the floods in Auckland, and while my business only suffered a little bit of damage, it still put my insurance premiums up. I heard about NSBS and the mentoring support and financial stress relief they could offer, and I quickly signed up to the BFC programme. I wanted to better manage my money and reduce the burden of financial worries so that my family and I can all live happier and more fulfilled lives. And I have never looked back.”

“The financial guardianship support I received from Sue at NSBS over the last few years has been amazing. Thank you to Sue for being there and helping me all those years. She has taught me so much and has enabled me to hold my head high with the progress I eventually made. Sue was my support and mentor. She paid all my bills and managed all my day-to-day money matters, and provided employment motivation which saw me get my first job… then a better one, and a better one, and a better one! Thanks to Sue’s diligent management and mentoring, I can now leave the BFC-Plus programme happy and with money-knowledge, money-confidence and money-independence… and with $36,535.27 in my ANZ bank account which Sue generated and safeguarded for me. Now I can start a fresh new life, drug-free and alcohol-free, completely independent for the first time and with a job, a home and financial security.”