From council tree to dinner table - chairbler calls for change
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RNZ News
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'200 years to pay back debt': Lender reveals cost of leaving abusive relationships
Leaving an abusive relationship often costs thousands of dollars. (File photo) Photo: 123RF A woman whose relationship deteriorated into abuse after she was diagnosed with a serious tumour, had to save for ten years to be able to leave. Social lender Good Shepherd said it was just one example of how hard it can be for people to get out of abusive relationships. The woman, whom Good Shepherd refers to as "Jen" to protect her identity, said the relationship dynamic changed when she became ill. "He took control of their finances including the support payment she received due to being unable to work. He would not allow Jen to access any money," Good Shepherd said in a note about the case. "His psychological abuse worsened over time. He wouldn't let Jen buy anything or drive their car. Jen was forbidden from seeing her friends. With no access to money, Jen got a credit card and kept a bank account hidden from her partner." It was ten years before she could leave the relationship, Good Shepherd said, and moved into a one-bedroom flat with her daughter, where they had to share a bed. She worked with Good Shepherd to wipe $7500 of bank debt she had built up during her relationship, and received a $300 grant to buy a second-hand kettle, reclining chair and fold-out couch. "Having to save for 10 years to leave a violent relationship is awful," said Good Shepherd chief executive Emma Saunders. Good Shepherd provided low- and no-interest loans for women and families facing high-cost unmanageable debt and economic abuse and family violence. Saunders said the organisation's analysis showed the cost of leaving an abusive relationship often came to at least $10,000. Someone's income could be disrupted and they would face high costs in finding a new place to live. "Social housing is available but the waitlist at March 2025 was sitting at 19,308 and it can take a long time to access." They might also need a car, a couch, a bed, a fridge, kitchenware, and clothing. Many people left all their possessions behind and had to start from nothing, she said. "This is only a small snapshot of the essential goods a woman fleeing violence would need to purchase for a home of her own. "They may also need to repurchase medications, prescription glasses, and other disability aids if needed." She said her estimates were based on people buying second-hand. "We're not talking about top of the range stuff but when you add moving costs and bond, household and personal items, people are often starting with zero." She said there needed to be continued awareness of family violence economic abuse. "Money is really essential to women experiencing abuse, leaving a relationship." There should be improved policies and practices to support customers experiencing family violence, and increased recognition of it in government work programmes, she said. She also called for more legal aid and free legal advice, as well as the eligibility limits being removed for cases where there was family violence. She said often it looked as if people had money that they did not actually have access to. Saunders said all debt-to-government related to family violence should also be wiped and people should be offered a one off grant. Saunders said most help was available as a loan rather than a grant, which left people paying off debt for a long time. "Even when it's an interest-free loan, it's still money you have to pay back, it's still money out of your pay packet. It's still money that you couldn't afford because maybe within your family violence situation you didn't have any access to money, or you had debt taken out in your name that you didn't know about and then you weren't allowed to work… "We have one client at the moment who it'll take over 200 years to pay back the debt she had to government. On one hand you think fantastic that they didn't say 'no you can't ever pay it back so we won't lend you something'… but on the other hand how ridiculous is that?" Fincap, which represents the country's' financial mentors, made a submission in June on the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Amendment Bill and said more needed to be done to support people coming out of violent relationships. They said mentors had dealt with multiple instances where women had debt on car loans they had been coerced into agreeing to and no access to the vehicle. In other cases, someone who separated from a partner with whom they had a mortgage were stuck paying unaffordable repayments because a partner refused to make a hardship application or refused to pay their share of the loan payments, putting the house in jeopardy. "We recommend the committee report back that the Government should look to endorse, or set, a review that determines how the law best supports fairness and efficiency in improving outcomes for borrowers who are survivors of family violence." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Selwyn plans big increase in tree planting
Selwyn is considering a policy of 'replacing one tree with at least two' after Rolleston was shown to have one of the lowest numbers for a town in New Zealand. The policy was discussed at the Climate Change and Sustainability Subcommittee Meeting on July 9, a week after a study was released by the University of Canterbury's School of Forestry, led by Professor Justin Morgenroth and Dr Ning Ye. It showed Rolleston's tree canopy cover was 7.9%, ranking it 77 out of 78 cities and towns in the study. Other Canterbury towns didn't fare much better, with Christchurch – the Garden City - at 13.6% (57th), Kaiapoi at 11.8% (66th), Ashburton at 11.5% (69th), and Rangiora at 9.5% (74th). Picton was on top at 59% while Hāwera was below Rolleston at 7.5%. At the subcommittee meeting, Selwyn's people, culture, and capability executive director Steve Giblin,g said the council is 'looking for better direction around how we proactively manage trees, especially in a fast-paced growth district like ours'. The said trees play a key role 'in cooling through shade, providing habitat for biodiversity, and also managing storm water'. Rolleston and its other rapidly growing urban centres have seen trees and shelter belts removed to make way for subdivisions. Those developments have included new trees, but they take time to establish. The council want to improve how they plan and consider trees, both new and existing. It was noted that there are five trees being removed for the Lincoln town centre redevelopment, but 50 trees will be planted in their place, with special strata vaults to avoid root issues, which is something the policy will cover. Strategy team leader Ben Baird said the approach to developing a policy was to recognise the value of trees, 'especially in our infrastructure and our subdivision work'. 'Having a goal of replacing one [tree] with at least two, and kind of looking to improve our canopy cover.' The council consulted the community on trees last year and Baird summarised the feedback as people wanting to see more trees, the council needs to be doing more to maintain them, and removal should be a last resort. He said staff would present on the draft tree policy in August. Professor Morgenroth believes it's worth investing in trees. 'Research has shown that for every $1 invested in urban trees, trees will return $3.40 in benefits. 'The benefits include, but are not limited to, carbon sequestration/storage, air pollution removal, stormwater runoff mitigation, energy reduction (shade/shelter), and aesthetic value.' There are other unquantifiable benefits, such as human physical and mental health, as well as biodiversity, he said. 'Increasing canopy cover will require planting, but that will take time. 'Limiting the removal of existing healthy trees is also a means of increasing canopy cover through growth of existing trees, or at least not reducing cover. 'Tree protection regulation is limited in New Zealand to individual trees listed in district plans, so regulatory approaches - unless they are changed - for retaining existing trees aren't likely to make a large contribution to maintaining or increasing canopy cover.' By Jonathan Leask, Local Democracy Reporter
