Good Shepherd NZ’s specialist Economic Harm Support Service was developed and piloted for 12 months from November 2021. It aimed to: 

• identify and provide the most appropriate support for people affected by economic harm 
• establish whether there is a demand for such support 
• identify improvements that could be made to financial, government and other services to reduce damage caused by economic harm 
• identify actions that could prevent economic harm occurring in the first place.

This evaluation of the first 12 months includes qualitative and quantitative data. It includes case file data, assessment notes, monthly reports on debt levels and types of support provided and stakeholder interviews.

Evaluation: Community
finance initiative

May 2018

Malatest International undertook an evaluation of Good Shepherd New Zealand’s no and low interest loans scheme.

The Community Finance Initiative (CFI) was established in 2014 to provide loans to a group of New Zealanders described as ‘financially vulnerable’ – meaning they did not meet standard bank criteria and had exhausted their Work and Income options. 

The CFI provides access to a fair and affordable line of credit as an alternative to fringe lenders, many of whom charge high interest rates and fees. It is run by Good Shepherd New Zealand and BNZ, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development, and delivered by community partners like the Salvation Army.

This interim report describes the findings of Part One of the outcomes evaluation based on baseline survey results for 324 participants.

Evaluation: Turning the curve driving programme

17/01/2018

Allen + Clarke completed an evaluation of a driver licensing programme delivered by ChangeMakers Refugee Forum and Good Shepherd New Zealand.

The ‘Turning the Curve’ driving programme aimed to enable women from refugee backgrounds living in the Wellington region to obtain their full driving licence, and in doing so, contribute to a range of outcomes. 

The purpose of the evaluation was to inform the programme’s implementation moving forward and to assess the value of the programme to the former refugee women who participated in it, to ChangeMakers, and the funders. The evaluation focused on the programme from July 2015 to June 2017.

Evaluation: No interest loans scheme

05/11/2015

The evaluation of a pilot no interest loans scheme, in partnership with Aviva, reports on microfinance as a family violence response.

Good Shepherd’s No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) offered no interest loans to people on low incomes for the purchase of essential household goods and services. The NILS model was offered to accredited community organisations, allowing them an adaptable way to provide safe, fair and affordable loans to their individual communities.

Aviva, a specialist family violence agency, was one such organisation. Good Shepherd and Aviva implemented a pilot programme for Aviva’s clients in Christchurch. The Aviva NILS pilot ran from February 2014 to February 2015. This report presents the key findings and recommendations from the evaluation.