Following Marcus through one ordinary Tuesday in Hamilton 6:47 AM Marcus's alarm buzzes. He grabs his phone and sees a text from his mate about Friday night drinks. Responds "Yeah keen!" without thinking about the cost. Financial impact: $60 night out committed to 7:15 AM Standing in his kitchen, Marcus opens the pantry. There's cereal, but no milk. The corner dairy is two minutes away,...

When I first moved to New Zealand, I was thrilled with the adventure of living in a new country. But it didn’t take long before I was overwhelmed with bills, payments, and the cost of living. Between a student loan, credit card payments, and a car loan, I was stretched thin, constantly worrying about making ends meet. Then, I heard about consolidating debt from a colleague who had been...

  When I first moved to New Zealand, I was so focused on my new job and settling into life in a new country that I didn’t give much thought to managing my personal finances. I had credit cards, a personal loan, and even some unpaid bills hanging over my head. Before long, I was overwhelmed. The multiple payments, each with its own interest rate and due date, were driving me crazy....

When I first arrived in New Zealand, I was excited to start fresh and explore a new place. But after a few months, I realised my finances were in shambles. From credit cards and personal loans to student debt, I was barely keeping up with the payments. My wake-up call came when I missed a credit card payment and got slapped with a late fee. I knew I had to find a way to make my finances more...

Let me start by saying this: a few years ago, I was that person. You know, the one who swore they had everything under control but secretly had multiple credit card bills, a car loan, and some lingering student debt from my uni days. Every payday, I’d throw money at each debt, but by the end of the month, it felt like I was back to square one. It’s funny how quickly things pile up...

Kia ora! If you’re reading this and feeling like your debts are taking over, you’re not alone. A few years ago, I was in the same boat. I had a handful of credit cards, a personal loan, and even a couple of store cards. I was keeping up with the payments, but it was all just getting too complicated. Trying to remember different due dates, juggling various interest rates, and...

  Debt. It’s one of those things that creeps up on you, often slowly at first, and before you know it, you’re facing multiple credit card payments, loans, and bills. That’s exactly where I found myself last year. I wasn’t exactly living a lavish lifestyle, but a couple of poor decisions and some unexpected life events had left me with more debt than I was...

It was one of those typical Auckland mornings where the sun was shining, but I could feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. My friends were out enjoying brunch, while I sat at my kitchen table, scrolling through my bank account and feeling increasingly anxious. I had juggled multiple credit cards, personal loans, and a sneaky buy now, pay later scheme, and the monthly payments were...

  Living in New Zealand has been an incredible journey, but like many young professionals, I faced the common struggle of managing finances while trying to build a life. One of the most pressing issues was my debt. That’s when I discovered debt consolidation loans and how they could help me regain control. What is a Debt Consolidation Loan? In simple terms, a debt consolidation loan...

A straight-talking conversation with Consumer Rights advocate Sarah Mitchell We sat down with Sarah Mitchell, who's spent 15 years helping Kiwis navigate debt collection issues, to get the real story on what debt collectors can and can't do in New Zealand. So Sarah, let's start with the basics. Can debt collectors just turn up at my house demanding money? Not legally, no. Under New Zealand...