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 

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

Economic abuse is a form of family violence that uses coercive, controlling, and threatening behaviour to restrict or remove a person’s financial freedom, autonomy, and security. 

Some early insights from this work were released in November 2024 as part of an International Economic Abuse Awareness Day event, and we’re excited to now be releasing the report in full.

Economic abuse is a relatively recent area of study. We are privileged to add this report to the body of knowledge about such an important subject. Our research used data from the National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges and Good Shepherd’s Economic Harm Service to illustrate the variety and extent of economic abuse experienced by women — often alongside physical violence, emotional abuse, gaslighting and other harmful behaviours. 

We found that over the course of a year, 60% of Women’s Refuge clients who completed a risk assessment identified they had experienced at least one form of economic harm. Most (72%) reported being excluded from decisions about shared or household money, and a similar number (68%) reported being stopped from having their own money. Good Shepherd New Zealand clients also reported economic restriction and control, and forced or coerced debt. There was an average of $22,000 of debt per person, and the majority held multiple debts with one or more creditor. The impact of this can be devastating, and can affect financial wellbeing long after the relationship is over. 

Women interviewed discussed how houses, children, and the legal system were weaponised against them after leaving the relationship — burning them out emotionally and pushing them further into financial hardship. For others, the impacts of high-cost debt were compounded by the challenges of a ruined credit score, housing insecurity, and difficulty re-entering the job market. 

Many clients interviewed said they found it hard to imagine a future, but they were hopeful about looking forward to the simple things in life, such as a home, happy children, a job, and being debt free. We will continue to play our part in supporting women to be lifted out of harm and hardship and into better financial wellbeing. 

A heartfelt thank you to former Good Shepherd clients who participated in interviews for this research project. We’re so grateful for your trust and insights. And thank you to the National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges for providing us with their data to help us understand the economic harm their clients experience.

Read the full report and a suite of companion resources