Archive: Client Stories

A GetControl loan enabled Marnie to pay off crippling loans and move into a new home.

A Debt Relief loan empowered Kaye to reduce her debt.

A GetControl loan helped Beverley pay off a car loan that had a whopping 30% interest.

Maria used a GetControl Loan to pay off spiralling high-interest debts.

Lorraine used a GetControl Loan to pay off spiralling high-interest debts.

A GetControl Loan helped Ian to pay off spiralling credit card debt.

Vicki’s story: A GetControl Loan enabled her to spend more time with her granddaughter.

At age 28, Sonam discovered she was pregnant to her long-term partner – however, he didn’t want the baby at the time and was planning to leave the relationship. On top of that, her family couldn’t support or help her as they don’t live in New Zealand and their Visas were rejected when trying to come here for her baby’s delivery. “I had to go on the ‘single mum’ benefit. I was very grateful for it, but it wasn’t enough,” she explains. “I had previous debts from when I was working – things like the car, insurance – all of the things that come with life and children.” Fortunately, WINZ put her in touch with a financial mentor at Pakuranga and Howick Budgeting Service. He recommended that Sonam apply for a GetControl Debt Relief Loan from Ngā Tāngata Microfinance – and helped her with her application. “The $2,000 loan helped me to pay off my overdue bills and some debts. My financial mentor also helped me apply for emergency funds from my KiwiSaver and referred me to a local foodbank for help. I can’t thank him enough - he really helped me to get my money sorted,” she says. Sonam says...

Jude and her husband raised their family of four children in Wellington and owned their own home. When their youngest child was three years, Jude went back to work and worked until she reached retirement age. “We lived like so many people do – spending all that we earned. It was never a struggle, but we didn’t put anything away either. We had no insurances. When I look back, we didn’t do as well as I thought.” Later in their married life, Jude’s husband purchased a business in Palmerston North where they lived for 14 years. “We purchased the business, sold the house and moved to Palmy where we rented. While things went well initially, the business didn’t do well and it was eventually folded. My husband didn’t want to declare bankruptcy, so for many years we paid back our creditors and weren’t able to get back to the financial position we’d been in.” For Jude, there was a sequence of life events that led to her being in financial hardship. “When we reached retirement age, we moved to Foxton beach and rented a house there, which was wonderful. Then my husband lost most of his memory after a near-drowning...

Sandra* and her husband live in New Lynn in West Auckland and recently applied for a GetControl Debt Relief Loan to pay off some debts. Sandra had been working for a few months with a financial mentor at Henderson Budgeting, who suggested she should apply for a Ngā Tāngata Microfinance loan to reduce her debts. Sandra says she wasn’t sure initially, but she had a look at the NTM website and thought it looked good. “I read a bit of information and got hold of my financial mentor who emailed NTM and helped me apply for the loan.” She says the process was surprisingly easy. “To be honest, some of the questions worried me at first, like having to disclose personal information, but actually it was really easy. The money came through very quickly and went straight towards paying off our bills.” “I would definitely recommend a Ngā Tāngata loan to others in the same boat,” Sandra says. “I feel so relieved – like a real weight has been lifted off our shoulders. My husband is happy that the debt is off our record now, and we don’t have to keep worrying about it.” “Working with the financial mentor has...