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Next
weekend, 15-17 November, over 350 delegates representing New
Zealand’s 87 Citizens Advice Bureaux
will gather together for the New Zealand Association of Citizens
Advice Bureaux bi-annual Conference and Annual General Meeting at
the Quality Hotel in Hamilton.
The
three-day conference, with the theme Changes,
Challenges, Choices, will provide an opportunity for those attending
to increase their skills and enhance their knowledge base through
a series of workshops. Subjects will include CAB’s relationship with
Government, consumer law, immigration and ethnicity and a close-up
look at CAB’s new database.
The
conference and AGM also gives bureau workers a chance to network
and share ideas with other CAB volunteers from throughout the country.
Nick
Toonen, CEO of the New Zealand Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux,
said that in the past seven years the Citizens Advice Bureau service
has seen a national increase in direct client contacts of 15.8%
- from 493,702 in 1994/95 to 571,803 in 2001/02.
“Not only has the number of enquiries increased but the issues being addressed
by our 2,750 bureau workers have become much more complex. They have also been dealing with many more issues
directly related to government services, information and responsibilities
as they work to support individuals and build and strengthen communities.”
New Zealand’s 87 Citizens Advice Bureaux, situated from
Kaitaia to Invercargill, provide free, confidential and impartial
information, advice, advocacy and support to individuals, and use
experience with clients to advocate for socially just policies and
services in New Zealand.
According to Mr Toonen, “The national network of Citizens
Advice Bureaux aim to empower individuals to deal with their own
problems and to strengthen communities by identifying and raising
local and national issues. The
person to person information, advice, advocacy and support service
provided by CAB volunteers is unique in New Zealand, as is our ability to provide a national snapshot
of community issues and concerns.” |
![To see what social issues we are currently working on [through advocacy and media]](../../images/socialp.GIF){kind=small}
