Citizens Advice Bureau The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has been providing New Zealand communities with free, confidential, and independent advice for over 50 years. The first New Zealand CAB opened its doors to the public in October 1970, on Ponsonby Terrace. Today, there are over 80 CABs in communities throughout New Zealand, supported by over 2,400 volunteers. The CAB’s roots are set in war-time England. Initially founded during World War II in London, CABs were a place where people could go for help tracing missing relatives, to learn about new war-time rules and regulations, or for anything else they needed to know. Such as help getting the correct soap ration, one of many problems at the time.
Volunteers at the CAB are expert listeners and always happy to lend an ear. When it comes to a complex problem, we take the time to understand what the underlying issues are, before researching options from our database that contains answers to over 2,750 different questions. And, in the unlikely event we do not have the answer, one of the 35,000 community organisations we are connected to will be able to help. On the other hand, if you want to be the one helping others, please get in touch about what it takes to be a CAB volunteer.
Nevertheless, the demand for the CAB service did not diminish at the end of the war. The growth of bureaucracy meant an increasing number of new rules and laws relating to people’s rights and responsibilities.
Thus, the CAB continued to be an essential community service, helping people to understand the complexities of everyday life.
To find out more, visit: www.cab.org.nz, or get in touch with one of your local CABs.
Accordingly, the CAB service has proven more valuable than ever during the COVID-19 outbreak - especially for helping people to comprehend how new rules affect them.
Wellsford: 1 Matheson Road, Wellsford;
For example, help answering questions such as, “What happens when my tenancy ends during lockdown?”, or “what are my rights if my employer asks me to get vaccinated, yet I cannot due to medical reasons?”.
09 423 7333; wellsford@cab.org.nz. Hibiscus Coast: 40 – 46 Orewa Square, Orewa; 09 426 5338; hibiscuscoast@cab.org.nz. Helensville: 23 Commercial Road, Helensville; 09 420 7162; helensville@cab.org.nz. Page 55
