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Dr M. Claire Dale is Research Fellow with the Retirement Policy and Research Centre at the University of Auckland. Through her research and her involvement with Child Poverty Action Group, she became increasingly aware of high-cost debt as a major contributor to poverty among low-income people. She has written many of CPAG’s submissions on tax, health, welfare and financial sector reform, and since 2001 has been a contributing author to many of CPAG’s publications, most recently The further fraying of the welfare safety net (2017). In an effort to make a more practical contribution to the community, and to effect positive change, in 2010 she founded Ngā Tāngata Microfinance Trust in partnership with Kiwibank. With the contributions from the other directors and trustees, and talented and dedicated staff, Claire has seen some real improvement in the credit environment, but much more improvement is required before low-income families are safe from predatory lenders and their debt traps.

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When reporting the biggest fine handed down so far to a mobile truck business the commission commented that of the 32 traders listed in 2015, 18 have closed.

“Get honourable” says Claire Dale, a director of Ngā Tāngata Microfinance to the operators of truck businesses in South Auckland.

In February 2018 we celebrated our 7th year. We were very pleased to have so many friends and colleagues share the cake along with the Minister for Social Development, Hon Carmel Sepuloni. J R McKenzie Trust attended and kindly described the occasion.

Child Poverty Monitor Report 2017

Stuff interview with clients and our EO on payday lenders and our loans.

Our Executive Officer, several Financial Mentors and clients provided the information for this article on our loans.

Selena’s* cell phone was only 18 months old, but needed replacing as it was the only phone in the house, shared between Selena and her three children. A salesperson from a truck vendor company sold her a cell phone from a catalogue, which he said was good value at $300. Selena had just started attending a local financial literacy course and the discussion in the class at that time was around this type of high-pressure, high-cost sale. This affected Selena to the point where she went home that day and cancelled the sale using the 0800 number. She hadn’t yet received the phone because she was required to make a set of payments before receiving the goods. The company said they would cancel the order, but that it would incur an administration fee, which Selena accepted. In Selena’s neighbourhood, buying from truck vendors is common. Many people don’t go into retail shops because they cannot afford to pay cash for items, which means they can be widely out of touch about the prices for goods. Items sold door-to-door are not advertised in the catalogue at a full retail price but at a ‘per week’ cost, which can be very misleading....

External Evaluation 2016: A pathway toward financial inclusion and improved wellbeing.