The NZFFBS provides a very comprehensive and up-to-date training programme for budget advisers. The Budget Adviser Introductory Course is a complete, structured training programme delivered by accredited NZFFBS tutors.

The course has been developed over a number of years in consultation with the community, experienced advisers and budget service clients. The course is recognised by the Social Services Industry Training Organisation, Te Kaiāwhina Ahumahi, to enable participants to achieve a cluster of unit standards (Limited Credit Program) and work towards a level four qualification on the National Qualifications Framework.

Training participants are then able to gain unit standards toward the National Certificate in Social Services by completing work based assessment with the ITO. This is a very powerful recruitment and retention option to attract people into the volunteer sector.

The NZFFBS recruits a trained pool of NZFFBS accredited tutors annually to provide all of the training needs for its members. The tutors are systematically appraised by the NZFFBS Training Manager to ensure their delivery standards are kept very high. The tutors own skills are also kept up-to-date through national and regional tutor forums. The NZFFBS’ network of tutors are able to provide training in all regions and districts throughout New Zealand. The costs of maintaining this network is completely covered by the NZFFBS.

A number of manuals, guides and handbooks have been developed to support the capability of budgeting services. These guides are regularly updated and offer an extraordinary level of detail. A budgeting organisation could set itself up from scratch using these comprehensive guides.

The NZFFBS also works constructively with other organisations to develop relevant resources to assist service delivery. One of these relationships has resulted in the NZFFBS database. The NZFFBS has invested a signifcant sum on behalf of its members to develop a client management and budgeting tool. Federation services receive free upgrades to this software.

The extensive experience of the NZFFBS has been used to create a complete set of forms and stationery for services and advisers to use.

Along with stationery items, the NZFFBS has a constantly updated range of pamphlets, posters, videos and library resources. All of the NZFFBS resources are provided to members completely free. The NZFFBS covers the cost of development, printing and distribution of all its resources.

Affiliation to the NZFFBS is very important to members when accessing the various funding streams available in New Zealand. The NZFFBS, through its assurance of a consistently high level of service delivery, has ensured that its name is known and respected by funding bodies. Due to the rigorous affiliation criteria and annually reviewed standards of service, funders know that NZFFBS affiliated budgeting services are safe and viable community organisations and this is an extremely valuable funding tool. Such funders include Family and Community Services, the Community Organisation Grants scheme, many of the community trusts, industry supporters and other philanthropic bodies.

The NZFFBS continues to lobby major funders to ensure that funding to budgeting services is regularly reviewed. More recently, the NZFFBS has been worked closely with Family and Community Services to ensure that government service contracts both in terms of contract rates and service deliverables are fair and representative of our work.

Only NZFFBS members have access to the range of accords we have developed with industry partners. These accords benefit budgeting service clients and increase the range of services an organisation can provide. The NZFFBS has developed an important relationship with Telecom, which offers member clients access to a special repayment scheme for Telecom debts, Budgetlink, and Connect Assist programmes. The NZFFBS has negotiated with private organisations and a number of banks to assist clients. Relationships have also been developed with government departments to benefit members. These include Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Insolvency and Trustee Service, Housing New Zealand, Inland Revenue Department, Work and Income and the Ministry of Social Development.

Community sector organisations are also involved directly with NZFFBS members such as the Cancer Society, Social Development Partners, Volunteering New Zealand and the Gambling Foundation. A national agreement for referral services has also been developed with Vera (formerly the SEED foundation). The NZFFBS continues to actively seek out accords with organisations to benefit its members.

As part of the overall NZFFBS networking and communication strategy district and regional representatives are responsible for coordinating district and regional meetings and other networking opportunities each year. These forums ensure collective knowledge and best practice is communicated throughout the network and provide opportunity for training workshops and presentations from industry and government experts.

Tangata Whenua Representatives also support the NZFFBS through its partnership policy, which promotes consultation and communication with Maori to increase the effectiveness of its service to Maori clients; these representatives create networking opportunities for Maori-based services.

Each year the NZFFBS holds its AGM, which provides an opportunity for networking and also for services to provide feedback into the policy of the NZFFBS. Opportunities are also made available for experts to provide industry-related information to the membership.

Every second year the NZFFBS holds its national conference. The conference is a major event in the budgeting calendar. A full range of workshops, speakers and events is included over the three day conference and networking opportunities are made available to well over 200 delegates that attend biennially.

More than 30 experienced representatives currently volunteer for the NZFFBS. Categorised as Maori, district and regional representatives these committed volunteers work actively to support members, create opportunities for networking, coordinate communications across the country and ensure that a consistently high-quality service is delivered by NZFFBS members.

These volunteers work very closely with new members to help organise their training and affiliation requirements and continue to work actively with members once they become affiliated. In addition to this support, the Federation partnered with the Tindall Foundation and Child, Youth and Family on a new initiative, the Capacity Strengthening pilot project. This project has successfully grown and four Field Officers work constructively with new and current members to increase their capacity to deliver budgeting advice in their community.

The NZFFBS representative network has been set up to provide services with a voice at the national level. Prior to all National Board meetings, services are able to pass on local issues and concerns to their representative to be heard at the national level. This is an extremely positive model that ensures grass-roots services are closely linked to the national decision making body.

Nationally, the NZFFBS national office provides a broad range of advice, consultation and submissions to policy makers both in government departments and private industry organisations. By constantly canvassing its members and ensuring its members’ views are regularly communicated, the NZFFBS has built up a collective knowledge in the consumer finance industry that is highly respected and in constant demand. This active form of advocacy is a major benefit to budgeting services and their clients.

The monthly newsletter Budgetline is produced by the NZFFBS and includes articles on relevant current issues and NZFFBS network news and events. The enclosures regularly include Trainline (the NZFFBS training newsletter), Blue Paper, which includes information for management committees, the Governance newsletter updating the membership on policy issues, From the Field, a regular update from our Field Officers, as well as regular information from government and industry organisations.

The regular collection and distribution of information ensures our members’ staff are always kept fully up-to-date with new government policy and legislation, relevant events, news and issues affecting the community sector and the latest industry information affecting their clients.

All members are provided with one listing in the Telecom White Pages under ‘budget advice services’ each year. This is the easiest way for clients to locate services in their area and is a very effective marketing tool. Wherever possible the NZFFBS promotes the White Pages local listings as the best way for clients to locate its members. Service’s contact details are then replicated on the NZFFBS website. The directory page provides a full listing of NZFFBS members to the public. The website receives over 4,000 absolute unique a month and this page is one of the most visited. Both of these services are provided completely free.

A more recent initiative by the Federation is the establishment of a freephone number for clients. 0508 Budgetline (0508 283 438) is a free service providing budgeting advice and referrals to local services. A fully qualified budget adviser answers the freephone and can provide some budgeting advice directly over the phone.

This service utilises email to help clients complete their own budgets at home and provides a broad range of advice to clients on all consumer finance issues. Cases that are too difficult to provide advice over the phone to and clients that request a referral are referred to a service close to them. The freephone service takes some pressure off budget services and is also reaching a new range of clients.

Policy Statement:

An affiliated budgeting service is an Ordinary Member of the NZFFBS and is a family budgeting service whose affiliation to the NZFFBS depends on its meeting the criteria determined from time to time by the NZFFBS. Any body corporate engaged in New Zealand in the advising and counselling of individuals and families/whanau on budgeting and financial matters, and whose methods of operation and business ethics conform with the criteria laid down by the NZFFBS from time to time, shall make an annual application to the Secretary, on the approved form and shall, with the approval of the National Board, become a member through Affiliation.

An affiliated budgeting service is a voluntary, community based, non-profit organisation, which offers a free, confidential and culturally aware service. Its one basic objective is to help people learn about handling money. Each budgeting service has its own legal identity and management committee structure. Its methods of operation are not in conflict with those advocated by the NZFFBS. An affiliated budgeting service offers free budget advice to all its clients. (This does not exclude the charging of a minimal fee, on some occasions, to cover the cost of administration of certain programmes.) Services are culturally aware and observe full confidentiality when working with clients. Budget advice and support is provided mainly by volunteers, although increasingly some services do pay some of their budget advisers. The NZFFBS National Board retains the right to decline an application from any organisation. The Board, subject to the procedures in the NZFFBS Rules, may suspend an organisation’s membership. Under the NZFFBS Rules the Board is also responsible for deciding the criteria for affiliation.

Policy Statement:

A Transitional Member of the NZFFBS is any organisation that can be given special consideration while working towards full affiliation. Any body corporate working towards full affiliation of the NZFFBS, by setting in place methods of operation and business ethics that conform to the criteria laid down from time to time by the National Board may be granted transitional membership.

If the organisation is unable to fulfil all the affiliation criteria but wishes to work towards that goal, transitional (affiliation) membership can be offered. Before a recommendation is made for full affiliation the organisation must at least be able to demonstrate compliance with affiliation criteria numbers 1, 1a, 3, 6, 7 and 9. This means that the group must:

1. If its a stand-alone organisation have a committee, which hold separate records and if its holistic, a clear and defined structure, which is able to provide direction, support and keep accurate financial and other records specific to the budgeting activities,
2. Have advisers that, if the organisation was affiliated, are eligible to hold an NZFFBS Certificate in Competency in Budget Advising and who also agree to ongoing training,
3. Have a minimum of three certificated advisers working in the budget service that are available to give free, confidential and non-judgemental advice to clients,
4. Have demonstrated its intention to work within the Code of Ethics, the aims and objects of the NZFFBS and the Budget Service Manual, and
5. Have the intention to offer an ongoing educational component to clients.

Transitional membership is requested through the District Representative and a proposed date for full affiliation is indicated. A timeframe will be negotiated with the District Representative to enable the applicant group to meet all the criteria. During the transitional membership period the budgeting service will:

1. Have the right to attend NZFFBS meetings with speaking but no voting rights,
2. Receive the newsletter, Budgetline, at no cost, and
3. Receive support and training from NZFFBS personnel.

A Transitional service will not be eligible to use NZFFBS stationery or logo. Subject to the payment of a bond and to signing an indemnity, it will have the option to use the Budget Service Manual and other technical guides.

Policy Statement:

The Federation will accept a satellite service if the following are in place:

a) The ‘parent’ budgeting service provides all the administration and management functions.

b) Procedures are in place for resourcing the satellite service, ie phone calls, face to face meetings, involvement with ‘parent’ office functions, regular reimbursement of volunteer expenses, etc.

c) There is good management of advisers from the ‘parent’ budgeting service, i.e. supervision, monitoring, contact and communication.

Smaller budgeting services are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with management documentation and procedures. The effort and resources needed to keep a Co-ordinator and Governance Committee working well, never mind the requirements of being a legal entity (meetings, members, returns etc.), sometimes prove too much and the people concerned think that they should not bother to establish or they should close the service. This is especially so where there are few people involved, resulting in a duplication of roles within the service, eg a Co-ordinator is also the Secretary and the Chairperson is also a budget adviser. Not only does this often cause a blurring of responsibilities for the people concerned but it is also not clear to the community exactly who is doing what within the service and communication can be difficult.

Services with very few people involved find that the workload for those people is unacceptably high resulting in high turnover of staff – if replacements can be found! Other organisations are finding it difficult to maintain the NZFFBS’ standard of a minimum of four certificated budget advisers. The alternative of operating as a satellite service might be considered. Instead of closing the service and losing good budget advisers it may be possible to join up with another organisation in the area. Budget advice can continue to be offered to clients whilst the complexities of management of the service can be done by a larger ‘parent’ organisation already set up to do this. Thus the requirements of Inland Revenue, Charities Commission, Family and Community Services, NZFFBS, other funding bodies and the Ministry of Economic Development can be satisfied.

Satellite services can be set up in any location as long as their parent service is close enough to provide effective management and supervision. Thus a small, urban service could easily combine forces with a larger service in the same town whilst a struggling service in a small rural community could consider joining with a service in a larger town or settlement.

The fourth membership category is known as associate membership. Associate members are organisations that share the NZFFBS’ philosophy and mission but do not offer budget advice to the public themselves. Becoming an associate member gives the organisation access to the NZFFBS network through district and regional meetings and invitations to NZFFBS events, such as the biennial Conference and AGM. A free copy of the monthly NZFFBS newsletter Budgetline is also available to associate members. There is a small annual fee for associate membership.

The NZFFBS also recognises individuals who have made a significant contribution to the affairs of the NZFFBS.