About Us
What we do!
We Provide a FREE and Confidential Financial Mentoring Service
How our services make a difference to people in our community – impact of our work
We recognise that difficulties with financial management can be stressful. Stress, if left unchecked, can have an adverse impact on individuals, families and children; and in some cases may contribute to the risk of family or domestic violence.
Clients, including individuals, families and whānau benefit from having someone who can listen and understand their stress and help them find ways to work through their issues.
Financial Mentoring helps build on existing client strengths to develop or enhance their skills, so that they are able to manage their finances and avoid financial stress in the future.
Building Financial Capability in our community
Financial capability goes deeper than what we know about money. It’s feeling confident to make wise judgements about how we use and manage our money in ways that benefit us now and in the future, enable us to reach our goals, provide for our family and, ultimately reach retirement in good financial shape.
Your Financial Mentor and our professional team will work with you to develop an financial plan that will allow you to manage your money more effectively and plan for the important goals in your life.
Our Privacy Statement
We collect personal information from you, including information about your:
- name
- contact information
- interactions with us
We collect your personal information in order to:
- Assist people experiencing financial hardship
We keep your information safe by storing it securely and only allowing certain staff access to it. .
We keep your information for two years at which point we securely destroy it by destroying all physical information and deleting all digital information. .
You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, please contact us at: manager@budgeting.co.nz, or 07 838 1339, or 87 Clarence Street, Hamilton Lake, Hamilton 3204.
Our “No Show and Late Cancellation” policy
Hamilton budgeting Advisory Trust strives to make appointments that are convenient and fit our client’s schedule. To accommodate the demand for our services it is very important that all clients attend their scheduled appointments. We understand that circumstances arise that require clients to cancel or change their appointment but this needs to be done with enough notice that someone else can be offered that appointment time. For this reason, we have a “No-Show policy”.
No show client
A “No show client (also known as Failed to Engage) is defined as:
- A client who does not arrive for a Financial Mentoring within the specified appointment time or when a client cancels a Financial Mentoring meeting within 24 hours of the specified appointment time (Late Cancellation).
Where a client “No Shows” on two or more occassion’s Hamilton Budgeting Advisory Trust will reserve the right to decline any further appointments.
COMPLAINTS POLICY & PROCEDURES
Rationale
Hamilton Budgeting Advisory Trust (HBAT) has a policy and set of procedures relating to any complaints made against the Trust or its staff, volunteers[1], contractors, and other people working on its behalf.
Purpose
HBAT has a formal process for receiving, considering and resolving complaints that is soundly based in law and consistent with the principles of natural justice.
Process
- HBAT has a Complaints Procedure which is available in the client waiting area and on all budget advisor’s office walls.
- Every client is informed of the complaint policy when signing the Budgeting Agreement.
- The Privacy Officer is the Manager, who will respond to complaints regarding privacy
- Upon receipt of a complaint regarding a service, the staff member, volunteer, contractor, or other person acting on behalf of HBAT who the subject of the complaint is will be asked by the Manager (Privacy Officer) or Chairperson to provide a response within five working days. The person concerned may have a support person present during any meeting relating to the complaint.
- A response is then sent to the complainant within fourteen working days. The response includes a description of any remedial action taken. The response is written by the Chairperson or a person delegated by the Board of Trustees.
- Where a complaint is substantiated, any consequential action will be taken in accordance with the relevant HBAT policies, contractual arrangements, volunteer agreements, governance requirements, and applicable legislation.
- Induction, training, and supervision processes for staff, volunteers, contractors, trustees, and others acting on behalf of HBAT will include information about the complaints procedure and any lessons learned from complaints, where appropriate.
- HBAT maintains records of all complaints and the formal application of the complaints process. These records are kept securely for a period determined by HBAT’s records management and privacy requirements.
Procedure
The official complaints procedure is as follows.
- Written complaints will, where possible, be acknowledged by telephone immediately upon receipt. If they cannot be immediately resolved, or if no telephone contact is available, written acknowledgement will be provided within five working days. The acknowledgement will include details of the action to be taken to address the concerns raised.
- If, for any reason, you feel uncomfortable making a complaint to the Manager, or if you feel that the Manager has not properly addressed your concerns, you may write to the Chairperson of Hamilton Budgeting Advisory Trust.
- If a special meeting of the Board is convened to consider your complaint, you will be invited to present your case in person. If you choose not to attend, the Trust will still fully and fairly consider your complaint.
- If a staff member, volunteer, contractor, trustee, or other person acting on behalf of Hamilton Budgeting Advisory Trust is the subject of a complaint, that person shall have the right to a fair hearing in accordance with the principles of natural justice. This includes receiving written notice of the details of the complaint as soon as reasonably practicable and being given the opportunity to respond.
- Where necessary, an independent mediator may be engaged to assist in resolving the complaint between the complainant and the person who is the subject of the complaint and/or the Board.
COMPLAINT PROCEDURE NOTICE
Held in reception and displayed in client session rooms.
If you wish to lodge a complaint about any aspect of the service, please:
- Write your complaint below and return it to 87 Clarence Street, Hamilton.
If you include your name and address, we can reply to you.
- If you have not had a satisfactory reply within 7 days explaining how your concern has been addressed, please write directly to:
The Manager or The Chairperson
Hamilton Budgeting Advisory Trust
PO Box 91
Waikato Mail Centre
Hamilton 3204
Please mark your letter “Private and Confidential”
Or use the online form below.
Our Service!
From humble beginnings as a voluntary organisation in 1991 to a fully professional service with four professional Financial Mentors available 4 days per week.
(Closed Fridays from 1st August 2024)
Hamilton Budgeting Advisory Trust is one of the most trusted Financial Mentoring services in the Waikato.
“To support the community to have access to quality services and activities that enhances financial wellbeing“
Hamilton Budgeting Advisory Trust was established in 1991 initially as a Charitable Trust to help the people of Hamilton with advice and education.
We are located near the Hamilton Lake, with easy access by bus or car. We provide a wide range of service to our clients which include:
- One-on-one Financial Mentoring and Budgeting Advisory Service.
- Group Education including our MoneyMates Peer Group workshops, Advocacy and Debt Management.
Register for one of our MoneyMates Workshops
Testimonial
“I reached out to Hamilton Budgeting services seeking support for a facilitator to facilitate our Financial Budgeting Seminar and was connected with Tony. We were able to host a 3-day seminar covering major arears our target audience identified to struggled in most. We found the workshop to be very engaging and supportive and was set in a non-judgmental safe environment. Hamilton Budgeting Services were very accommodating & supportive which made it easy to plan/organize the seminar. Thank you for providing our community with a safe and supportive service.”
Our Funders
Get In Touch
To speak to one of our Financial Mentors or book an appointment