about us

Check out a recent TV interview with CAP Founder John Kirkby, CAP Chairman Bruce Edmonds and wife Vicky and CAP Head Office staff.

Christians Against Poverty is a debt counselling charity which offers a free, holisitic and in-depth service to those who are struggling with unmanageable debt in New Zealand.  CAP works with a network of church-based centres throughout the North Island in order to release communities from the cycle of debt and poverty. 

We aim to have a debt counselling centre in every major town and city in New Zealand within the next ten years, thus enabling us to help hundreds of families around the nation.

The Mission of CAP

We can often think that people are irresponsible for getting themselves into debt with out-of-control spending habits. Yet debt can happen to anyone. All it takes is a change in circumstances such as illness, marriage breakdown or losing a job to turn manageable spending and loan repayments into a financial crisis.

We don’t pay people’s debts for them or encourage clients to take out more debt. CAP aims to show God's love in action by providing sustainable poverty relief through debt counselling, advice and practical help. There are two primary ways in which CAP does this:

• Free debt counselling for those struggling with unmanageable debt.

• CAP Money courses which provide money management and budgeting education.

 

Free Debt Counselling

Christians Against Poverty provides a free debt counselling service through a network of church-based centres. From these centres, trained caseworkers visit clients in their own homes ensuring that the most isolated and marginalised within our communities are reached, that the correct information is gathered and that each client has the personal support they need during this difficult period.

 

CAP Money

CAP Money is a three session DVD-based course designed to enable people to get to grips with and manage their finances. It is held in local churches and adminstered by trained volunteers from the church. CAP provides the resources, training and support to enable churches to reach their communities with this valuable tool.

• How does it work?

Each session consists of a 30 minute DVD presentation by John Kirkby, the Founder and International Director of CAP, with money coaches on hand to facilitate attendees through the course and into financial self-management. CAP Money promises to be a fantastic tool that can be used to help thousands in the local community. Volunteers from the church receive full training from CAP in order to become CAP Money Coaches, able to facilitate and to equip the local church and wider community with vital money management skills.

• What are the benefits?

In addition to the invaluable budgeting and money management training which participants receive, this course is a proven and relevant outreach tool for churches. It empowers people within the church and the local community to take control of their finances and is an exciting way to enable the church to address one of the biggest issues facing society today.