By Brittany Goodwin, Senior Social Policy and Advocacy Advisor, Good Shepherd New Zealand
Despite New Zealand’s progress, many women, girls, and families face poverty and family violence, with one in three people having experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) within their lifetime. Economic hardship traps women in abusive situations, while systemic barriers limit access to support.
Many women and families do not have enough money to live in comfort or safety and have no savings as assets or for emergencies. Some have their finances ruined by family violence.
Good Shepherd New Zealand works to address these issues, offering stronger protections, economic empowerment, and community-driven solutions for lasting change.
Our small team of 30 people is focused on mission and service delivery. We support people in strengthening their financial well-being and carrying out awareness-raising initiatives for people experiencing harm and hardship. Because of the intrinsic link between financial well-being and general well-being, our services also influence issues around self-determination and hope.
The two primary services we offer are no-interest loans and family violence economic harm support.
Our no-interest loans provide financial coaching and finance options at low cost. They offer an alternative loan option that prevents people from taking on high-cost debt to pay for essentials or even to have to go without.
Our family violence economic harm support service supports women to achieve financial independence by advocating and negotiating on their behalf to reduce or remove coerced debt. The service strengthens financial capability and confidence so victim-survivors can stay safe.
We measure impact so we know which aspects of our work could be continued, improved, or reconsidered to make sure our efforts get the best results for women, girls, and their families.
For example, research we published in February 2025, How Good? The Impact of Good Shepherd financial wellbeing services in people’s lives, highlights how participants were three times less likely to worry about money and more than twice as likely to feel hopeful for the future after working with Good Shepherd New Zealand.
Stories from clients who participated in this research show the impact our services make in people’s lives. Lillian’s story, told in her own (edited) words, is a testament to the transformative nature of our intervention and support.
“Before I reached out to Good Shepherd, my life felt like it was crumbling around me. I had just left a long-term abusive relationship and was starting over with my kids. It wasn’t until I was out of the relationship that I began to understand the full extent of what had happened — how my ex-partner had controlled my ability to earn money and build a career. At the time, I thought it was normal or even my fault.
I’ll never forget the relief I felt after that first call with Good Shepherd. Apart from the Women’s Refuge, they were the first people who listened. They didn’t judge. They didn’t ask how I had ended up in my situation or why I couldn’t just fix it myself. Instead, they asked, ‘How can we help you?’.
Good Shepherd helped me in so many practical ways. They provided an interest-free loan to cover the most urgent car repairs. They also helped me structure my finances to make things more manageable.
After working with Good Shepherd, I finally felt a sense of control over my finances.
Today, my life looks very different. After years of legal battles, I finally secured the house in the separation. I’ve been working to repair and improve it. I also found a job that I love. It’s the sort of work that is meditative and healing for me and feels true to who I am — it’s helping me reclaim parts of myself that were lost in the relationship.”
“[Good Shepherd] was like a light that came to me and said, ‘Yes. This is really hard — but we get it, and you can do it’. It gave me some footing. It gave me hope I could escape my situation.”
Learn more about Good Shepherd New Zealand here https://goodshepherd.org.nz
