Year: 2025

Good Shepherd NZ and Financial Services Federation launch code of practice to help specialist lenders in their work to prevent and reduce economic harm

FSF and GSNZ Chief Executives

Good Shepherd NZ and the Financial Services Federation (FSF) are excited to release a code of practice (the code) designed to help specialist lenders prevent and reduce harm for customers experiencing economic harm from family violence.

The announcement comes as Good Shepherd NZ marks International Economic Abuse Awareness Day (26 November 2025) with an event in Auckland to raise awareness of economic abuse and to announce the launch of the code.

“Economic abuse can be more invisible than other forms of family violence, so it is important that lenders and service providers can spot economic abuse and have appropriate processes in place to support their clients”, says Good Shepherd NZ Chief Executive, Tania Pouwhare

For Financial Services Federation (FSF) members, economic abuse means customers might not know about debt they are responsible for, or they suddenly may be unable to make payments. The code outlines responsibilities which member organisations will consider to better meet the unique needs of these customers and reduce the impact of economic abuse.

“We know organisations like those that belong to FSF are committed to supporting customers experiencing harm and vulnerabilities, so working together to develop a code of practice allowed us to draw on our expertise to create a code of practice that we hope will ultimately help victims” says FSF Executive Director, Lyn McMorran

The code is the result of a partnership between the two organisations, reflecting a shared commitment to support those experiencing economic harm from family violence. Co-design with FSF members has ensured that the code of practice responsibilities keep staff and customers safe and recognise the business context these organisations work within.

Good Shepherd NZ, in collaboration with the FSF, its members and family violence specialists, has also developed a companion resource to outline how responsibilities within the code can be met in practice.

“Family violence situations are complex. Staff might want to help, but often don’t know the right way to go about it. The companion resource provides some options and examples for how organisations may respond to different situations when their customers experiencing economic abuse”, says Tania

Further codes of practice will also be developed for the energy, telecommunications, and financial advisor sectors. We hope to see these sectors follow suit and commence co-design work in 2026.

Editor’s note

Help is available:
  • Women’s Refuge — if you’re experiencing financial or economic abuse and/or other forms of family violence call 0800 733 843
  • Good Shepherd’s Family Violence Economic Harm Service — if you’re recovering from family violence and want help with the money piece call 0800 466 370 option 4.
What is economic abuse?
  • Financial and economic abuse is recognised in the Family Violence Act 2018, as a form of psychological abuse. It takes many forms — eg restricting money, damaging property, preventing from work, manipulating how much child support is owed, forcing or fraudulently incurring debt.
  • Recent data shows that more than 60% of women seeking support from Women’s Refuge, who completed a risk assessment, noted they experienced financial or economic abuse.
  • It can be hard to recognise economic abuse because, like other acts of psychological violence, it doesn’t leave visible marks.
    While it often occurs alongside other types of violence, it can also be a standalone act.
    Family violence economic harm can happen to anyone. We see people from all walks of life, socio-economic and demographic backgrounds, who suffer under controlling behaviours and economic abuse.
  • The impact can be devastating and can affect financial wellbeing long after the relationship is over. Research shows us that women’s access to employment is affected by economic harm, which limits their financial independence during and after an abusive relationship.
About Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd is a charitable non-government organisation that helps women, girls and their families who are experiencing harm and hardship.

Good Shepherd NZ provides a specialist support service to help people address and recover from family violence economic harm. Our specialists have experience in financial capability, advocacy and working with those who have experienced family violence and economic harm.

Our work in New Zealand began in 1886. We work in more than 70 countries, drawing on collective expertise, especially in the areas of economic participation and wellbeing, safety and resilience.

The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations for its work with women and girls and is supported by the Good Shepherd International Foundation.

About the FSF

The FSF is the non-profit industry association for specialist lenders operating in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a collective customer base of over 1.7million consumers and businesses. FSF members provide crucial competition to traditional banks through innovation, agility, and the ability to be closer to their customers.

Members include finance, leasing and credit-related insurance providers, and include the likes of UDC Finance, MTF, Turners, several credit unions and building societies, fintech firms, and the finance arms of global motor vehicle brands including Toyota, Nissan, Honda, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

With 60 years of history, FSF has stringent membership criteria and enforces a Code of Conduct to maintain high standards in responsible lending. FSF members prioritise compliance, support consumer protection enforcement, and advocate for balanced regulations that ensure New Zealanders can access responsibly provided credit.

Welcoming Tania Pouwhare as Chief Executive

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Tania Pouwhare as the next Chief Executive of Good Shepherd New Zealand. Tania brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to advancing social and economic justice, particularly for women, whānau and communities most impacted by inequality and harm.

Over more than 20 years, Tania has worked across Aotearoa and the UK in roles spanning policy, campaigning, community innovation, and Indigenous economic development. Her pioneering work includes introducing social procurement in Aotearoa, co-founding Amotai (which has enabled over $460m in spend with Māori and Pasifika businesses), and leading system-change initiatives at The Southern Initiative a social innovation team at Auckland Council focused on Māori and Pasifika whānau.

She has also had a long-standing commitment to supporting women impacted by family and economic harm, including early roles with Women’s Refuge in Aotearoa and a decade leading policy and campaigns at the Women’s Resource Centre in London.

Outgoing Chief Executive, Emma Saunders, says “I’m thrilled to know Tania is stepping into the role. Over the last two years, the team has created the strong foundations needed for even more social impact in New Zealand — building capability, organisational resilience, trusted profile and presence, data and insights, new partnerships and services, and more. The Board and I wanted to ensure the next CEO could really leverage what’s been built to deepen and widen our impact for mission. Tania is a fantastic choice for our next phase. We are proud to welcome her to the team.”

Tania is widely recognised as a thought leader and changemaker. She is a Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Social Equity Fellowship, an Honorary Fellow of Engineering NZ, and earlier this year was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to social innovation.

Board Chair Gael Surgenor says, “In my own experience working with Tania at Auckland Council, I have seen her combine sharp systems thinking with deep relational leadership. She is both visionary and practical – able to influence policy and strategy, while also building strong partnerships and delivering tangible outcomes. Above all, she brings an unwavering focus on equity and justice for women and girls, which sits right at the heart of Good Shepherd’s kaupapa.”

Tania will be joining us formally in late September, with time for a handover with Emma before she leaves. We’re grateful that Emma will also remain available in an advisory capacity, to help a smooth transition of leadership and continuation of our important services, pilots and partnerships. 

New paper exploring dignified income

Today we released our latest policy paper, “Defining dignified income”. We use the term ‘dignified income’ to describe income that is more than just enough to scrape by – it allows for women to live fulfilled lives.

This paper explores the issues preventing women from receiving equitable employment outcomes and breaks down how we define dignified income to better understand the factors which support women’s financial outcomes.

We want to understand both the opportunities and the barriers to dignified income, to inform future work on how these opportunities can be maximised and barriers overcome.

We know that women often experience poorer pay and employment opportunities than men, and that access to income is essential for women’s quality of life, access to goods and services, financial security and safety. Having enough income is essential to ensure bills can be paid, food can be put on the table, and children can receive the resources they need to thrive. Without this, women are vulnerable to poverty and may become dependent on others to make ends meet.

In this paper, we define dignified income as enough to pay the bills with some leftover for emergency savings and treats, it’s stable and secure, and it’s safe from harm and harassment. Ideally, income is also adaptable enough to enable a fair work/life balance, and the work experience is appropriate and fulfilling.  These factors are all important to ensure a person’s income is dignified, but there are many compromises people make in relation to employment and income to make work suit their lifestyle and life stage. So, one way to look at dignified income is being able to meet basic needs and earn an income that aligns with a person’s more aspirational goals and values at the time. It’s about unlocking the privilege of choice.

Read our report on defining dignified income

Reflecting on the 2024-2025 financial year

We are proud to report on the team’s operational activities and achievements over the 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 period.

The 2024-2025 financial year saw Good Shepherd New Zealand:

  • delivering services to thousands of women, girls and their families experiencing harm and hardship
  • raising awareness of social issues causing harm and hardship, and driving improvements to systems that hold people back
  • strengthening our capability, profile, and infrastructure, so we can make even more impact in the year to come.

It has always been a privilege to support individuals, families and communities, and we’re encouraged by the effect our services have in wider society. Analysis this year shows just how much better off everyone can be when women are safe, strong, well and connected. For example, for every dollar invested in our Family Violence Economic Harm support service, we create over $11 of social impact for New Zealand – ie, savings in healthcare, the justice system and the economy.

Our efforts brought new opportunities to reduce pressure and harm for women. Importantly, we gained support of two new funders to design and deliver a service for single older women experiencing financial barriers to housing. Given the long-term impact of gender inequities earlier in life, and the hidden problem of women’s homelessness, we are excited about what this new service might enable.

In addition to our work locally, we continued to tighten connections with Good Shepherd in Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The opportunity to leverage strengths in each country will mean even more local impact. A new governance structure will bolster this enduring and vital relationship, honouring an important connection for the Sisters and mission.  

The Sisters of the Good Shepherd have supported women and girls in New Zealand for around 140 years. We acknowledge their commitment to mission, their ongoing work and their legacy. We are deeply grateful to our incredible team and the extended governance group supporting their work. Ultimate recognition belongs to the women, girls and families we serve, whose determination and integrity spurs us on.  Our work and impact from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 is summarised in the 2024-2025 Year in Review.

Learning and connection with the Sisters

The last few months brought three opportunities for Good Shepherd’s New Zealand team to spend quality time with the Sisters carrying on a legacy of purpose first established in 1886. 

Good Shepherd was originally founded in France in 1835 by Saint Mary Euphrasia, with the determination to assist women and children in most need. The mission spread around the world. The Sisters began to serve in Ōtautahi / Christchurch about 50 years later.  

Over the last decade, our local Sisters have started to retire. Others continue the work as ‘Partners in Mission’. Our connection with the Sisters locally and globally remains important. Reconnecting with their wisdom and leadership is an energising experience and a valued privilege for our team. 

In May, the Sisters and other leaders of Good Shepherd in New Zealand and Australia attended a three-day Province Assembly in Melbourne. The event’s theme was ‘Journeying together with hope’. Joined by Sr Joan Lopez, Congregational Leader, and three members of the Congregational Leadership Team – Srs Josita Corera, Marie Francoise Mestry and Yolanda Sanchez – we reflected, shared perspectives and talked about the future we are working for. This brought a treasured opportunity to collaborate in person and determine how we will work alongside others and provide support in our wider Asia-Pacific region. The Sisters in New Zealand and Australia have always worked closely and we continue as partners in our mission. 

Read more about the Province Assembly here.  

Following the Province Assembly, Sisters from the Congregational Leadership Team visited Good Shepherd’s Auckland office. It was an honour to host them and talk together about the mission in New Zealand, strengthening connections and sharing stories of our work.  

In July, our team and board were thrilled to welcome a group of Sisters and other governance leaders from New Zealand and Australia for a day of collaboration and connection at Te Māhurehure Cultural Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau. The day was a chance to deepen personal connections to the mission, absorb the wisdom of the Sisters, and reflect on changes we want to make to our services to make even more positive impact for people.   

Emma Saunders, Chief Executive at Good Shepherd New Zealand says: 

“Time with the Sisters is always incredibly enriching. They dedicate their lives to service for our mission. The team loved hearing their thoughts about issues facing women, girls and their families in Aotearoa, and discussing existing and future services.” 

Social return on investment reports show value of GSNZ services

Independent analysis finds that our services deliver incredible social good for New Zealanders – between $3.40 and $11.80 generated for every dollar spent.

Over the last few months, Good Shepherd NZ has been working alongside MartinJenkins to calculate the social return on investment for two of our services: Good Loans and the Family violence economic harm support service.  

Social return on investment calculates the value to society from every dollar invested in a service. This includes factors such as economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits, as well as financial benefits from cost savings (avoided government expenditure). 

MartinJenkins used data collected by Good Shepherd NZ through our regular impact surveys to provide an independent assessment on whether outcomes are being achieved. They take a robust and conservative approach to quantification, focusing on impacts with the biggest quantifiable benefits and using peer-reviewed academic literature and systematic reviews to provide evidence of benefits.  

Our Chief Executive, Emma Saunders says “We are deeply grateful for the time and effort of the MartinJenkins team to deliver these reports. It is important to 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.”  

Social return on investment assessment for the GoodLoans service, as delivered in 2024, shows that for every $1 invested, $3.40 of social impacts were generated. This number is generated from the quantified benefits (estimated value of the benefits of improved financial wellbeing for adults on low incomes), to a total to $4.7 million, and the cost to run the service.  

Social return on investment assessment for the family violence economic harm support service, as delivered in 2024, shows that for every $1 invested, $3.49 of social impacts were generated. This number is generated from the quantified benefits (the estimated value of societal benefits of improved financial wellbeing of adults on low incomes), to a total to $4.4 million, and the cost to run the service.  

In calculating the full cost of the family violence economic harm service, MartinJenkins included the costs to businesses who write off debt. When business write off debt, they miss out on the income associated with the debt being paid back. If only the cost to Good Shepherd NZ is considered in the analysis (i.e. the amount of money we spend to run the service) and cost of writing off debt is excluded, then the ratio changes. When costs for businesses are excluded, for every $1 invested in the FVEH support service, $11.80 of social impacts are generated.  

The reports also show that our services have other benefits to society that we don’t currently have the data to quantify. This includes improvements across mental and physical health, housing, income, safety, and connection to community.  

Read Good Shepherd NZ’s social return on investment reports 

Insider’s Guide podcast focuses on economic abuse

The Are You OK family violence support platform has released a podcast episode to help people understand what it’s like to experience and overcome economic abuse connected to family or partner violence.

The Insider’s Guide series explores issues connected with family violence and offers information and support for people experiencing it. People who have experienced abuse share their stories to help others understand they’re not alone and support is available.  

In the ‘Surviving Economic Abuse’ episode, Good Shepherd’s Family Violence Economic Harm Service Manager Beryl shares her perspectives about this form of abuse and the harm it causes. The episode follows the story of an incredible woman whose strength we got to see firsthand as we supported her to uncover and recover from abuse.  

We acknowledge the support BNZ provided to help the featured Good Shepherd client navigate the process of resolving debt taken out in her name without consent.  

The Insider’s Guide is an excellent resource. This episode can help anyone wanting to better understand the lived experience of family violence economic abuse and the barriers to addressing it.  

Listen to the Insider’s Guide

Family violence economic harm in the spotlight 

Good Shepherd New Zealand is proud to contribute to the fantastic Breaking Silence video series, now in its fourth season.  

One woman’s experience helps to shine a light on family violence economic abuse and harm in a Breaking Silence episode dedicated to illustrating how this type of harm can occur.  

The woman, whose identity is protected, is a client of Good Shepherd. She shares how a loving marriage evolved into a controlling relationship, and how her husband racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt in her name.  

Good Shepherd team member Vanessa Mazzola also appears in the story to discuss the signs of economic abuse relating to family violence, and what banks are doing to better support affected customers.  

We are grateful to have walked alongside the woman featured in this story, whose resilience and hope continue to motivate us.          

Thank you to the excellent team behind Breaking Silence, and to Tagata Pasifika for helping to tell these important stories.  

New report on the financial barriers to exiting abusive relationships

Today we released our report on “Barriers to Exit: How financial barriers prevent women from leaving abusive relationships”. This work pulls together information from our client research with academic and cross-sector findings to tell a story about the financial challenges facing women when they try to leave an abusive relationship. 

We see that there are many expenses involved with leaving an abusive relationship, and without accessible money it can be hard to start fresh. When including the cost of a bond to secure rental accommodation, the purchase of a car to escape, and all the associated costs of setting up a household, our analysis finds that the up-front cost of leaving an abusive relationship comes to nearly $10,000.

The inability to leave due to not affording these expenses can be a major restriction for women seeking safety. Without financial independence, women become trapped in abusive relationships and are subject to further harm and hardship.

This paper details how abusers can utilise behaviours that weaken their partner’s financial wellbeing and security so that they have less resources available to meet these costs and leave the relationship. This includes creating a culture of financial dependency within the relationship, and leveraging joint finances to exploit and disadvantage victim-survivors. The impacts of this behaviour can put victim-survivors into serious financial hardship. Without access to wages or savings and with debt taking a cut from their weekly budget, many victim-survivors cannot purchase the goods and services needed to escape, and they cannot afford to access legal advice needed to ensure their rights and obligations are met.

We have developed seven recommendations which we believe would help victim-survivors to exit abusive relationships. There is a need for targeted interventions across a range of sectors to ensure victim-survivors do not end up trapped in abusive relationships because of a lack of finances. Not only do businesses need to improve their policies and practices for supporting customers experiencing family violence economic abuse, but cross-government action is needed to provide targeted funding and assess current settings. Joined up efforts are needed to address the complex challenges caused by family violence economic abuse, and help victim-survivors keep themselves safe, recover and thrive.

Read the report and our recommendations for change

New report on issues facing women experiencing harm and hardship

Today we are excited to release our report “Issues facing women experiencing harm and hardship” which focuses on the key financial and economic challenges that women are facing. This paper pulls together research and data from several sources and serves as a point in time view of how different factors come together to disadvantage women in New Zealand.

The paper shows that, while there is important work being done by the community, philanthropic and government sectors, there is still significant need for change. Women continue to face worse financial outcomes and remain vulnerable to harm and hardship.

On-going pay equity disparities mean women still struggle to access dignified income, which impacts their financial wellbeing and leaves them vulnerable to harm. It is also apparent that problem debt remains a pervasive issue for those in hardship and especially for those experiencing family violence economic abuse.

These challenges are harder for certain cohorts of women. In particular, Māori and Pacific women are overrepresented in family violence, housing deprivation, and gender pay gap statistics. The proportion of women on the sole parent benefit, difficulty re-entering the labour market, and the high value of unpaid child support debt shows that single mothers are also a cohort in need.

This reaffirms that women’s financial lives are not the product of discrete factors, there are many structural, systematic, and demographic issues that interact to impact whether a woman experiences hardship or harm. Complex challenges require complex solutions. We have undertaken this research as part of our work to identify and address social issues where they intersect with our financial and economic wellbeing work. This information will be used to support or identify changes that reduce and remove barriers to financial inclusion and economic participation for women. Going forward, we intend to deep-dive into some of the issues noted in this paper and present recommendations for changes that create better outcomes for women.

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