Locals advising locals

Citizens Advice Bureau has marked three years of operation in Pukekohe.

The bureau provides free, confidential, independent information and advice to anyone.

Volunteers help people know what their rights are and how to access services they need, Citizens Advice Bureau Papakura and Pukekohe manager Judy Boyd said.

Last year, the CABs in Papakura and Pukekohe provided CAB services to 5659 clients, and a further 2545 clients attended clinics held at the Bureaus.

“Of this number, the team at Pukekohe helped 1600 clients by either e-mail, face-to-face or telephone. We also had numerous clients access our legal clinic and Justice of the Peace services,” Boyd said.

CAB has 30 volunteers across Papakura and Pukekohe.

“Our volunteers are amazing. We even had one who volunteered for 30 years. We’re here for all people.

“We’re not lawyers but we’ve seen a fair few problems. If you’re unsure, come in and we can point you in the right direction.”

All interactions with clients are recorded but without any personal information, and are added to a nationwide database which provides accurate statistics and experiences when advocating for the public with the government and councils.

A large part of their services involved helping clients with a lot of paperwork, as many forms or documents were often confusing for people.

“We also have access to a database with 50 years’ worth of problem-solving,” volunteer Geoff Henderson said.

Volunteering for CAB gave him a strong sense of personal satisfaction from helping others.

“I’ve been with CAB for three years, but have a wealth of experience in listening to people with my background as a credit manager.

“We’re trained to listen without judgement. It’s good to note that people have both obligations and rights.”

CAB Pukekohe offer a JP service from 11.30am to 12.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

They also hold a legal clinic on Wednesdays from 1.30pm to 3pm, but clients must book in through the bureau prior to attending.

• Citizens Advice Bureau Pukekohe: 3 Hall Street, Pukekohe, 09 869
  7060, www.cab.org.nz.