What Citizens Advice Bureau NZ does

Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand (CABNZ), founded in 1970 and headquartered in Wellington, operates a nationwide free, confidential and independent information and advice service delivered through more than 80 independently incorporated local bureaux and a volunteer workforce exceeding 2,500 individuals, supported by 144 paid staff. The organisation serves the general New Zealand public across rights areas including consumer, employment, housing, family, health, money, government and law, with priority focus on migrants, Māori, Pacific Peoples, and youth. Its core technology is an integrated IT system comprising a 2,755-answer knowledgebase covering 300+ subject areas, a directory of 35,000+ local service providers, a client enquiry recording intranet, and a reporting system that generates national and local social-justice insights.

The business model is non-profit and fully funded externally, with no fees charged to clients. Revenue comes from Funding for Outcomes Agreements with five New Zealand government agencies (Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, Department of Internal Affairs, Inland Revenue, and Immigration New Zealand) and from the NZ Lottery Grants Board, which together support both the national systems infrastructure and direct local bureau operations. The go-to-market is community-led: clients access services in person at local bureaux, via the free 0800 367 222 phone line, by email, online chat, or self-serve on cab.org.nz. Sub-products include Migrant Connect (settlement support), Youth Tool Kete, Tenant Aratohu, and the CAB Spotlight Reports research series.

Recent strategic activity in 2026 has centred on defending the funding base (a petition to Wellington City Council following a 60% funding cut) and expanding digital and policy influence through the Inclusion in a Digital Age campaign, TikTok and social media outreach, and Spotlight Reports covering migrant workers, welfare, and digital exclusion.

Name

Citizens Advice Bureau NZ

Legal name

Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand Incorporated (CABNZ)

Website

https://cab.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand is a Wellington-based non-profit operating 80+ local bureaux and a free, confidential advice service delivered by 2,500+ volunteers, serving the New Zealand public on rights and access to services, funded by government agencies and the Lottery Grants Board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advisory Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Community advice services
• Consumer rights advice
• Free information services
• Social justice advocacy
• Community directory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Funded by multiple government agencies including Ministry of Social Development (Funding for Outcomes Agreement), Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (Funding for Outcomes programme), Department of Internal Affairs, Inland Revenue, and Immigration New Zealand (funding for Migrant Connect Service)
2. Lottery Grants: NZ Lottery Grants Board supports national systems and provides direct funding to each CAB for operations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice Bureau NZ provides free, confidential, and independent information and advice to the people of Aotearoa New Zealand through a network of 80+ locally-run bureaux staffed by trained volunteers. Its advice covers 2,755+ topic areas spanning consumer rights, employment, housing, family, immigration, and legal matters, supplemented by a nationwide Community Directory that connects clients to specialist support services.

Product overview

Citizens Advice Bureau NZ operates as a unified service providing free, confidential, independent information and advice through over 2,500 volunteers at more than 80 locations nationwide. The core offering consists of the CAB advice service complemented by a Community Directory of 25,000+ local services, the Migrant Connect programme for new migrants, the Youth Tool Kete for young people, Tenant Aratohu for tenant advocacy, and CAB Spotlight Reports for social justice research. The organisation maintains an extensive knowledgebase of 2,755 answers covering rights information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Migrant Connect: A service provided by some CABs funded by Immigration New Zealand, providing local information for new migrants about living and working in New Zealand.
• Aratohu Tenant Advocacy
• Youth Tool Kete

Products and services

• Citizens Advice Bureau Service Free, confidential, independent information and advice service covering 2,755+ topic areas, delivered face-to-face at 80+ bureaux and through remote channels by trained volunteers for all New Zealanders.
• Community Directory

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped over 7,000 Pacific Peoples and approximately 5,000 youth under 25 in a single year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Citizens Advice (UK): The original UK Citizens Advice service from which CABNZ's model derives; provides free, confidential, independent advice on rights and obligations across consumer, employment, housing, and welfare categories through a network of local offices.
• Citizens Advice Scotland: Scotland's national Citizens Advice umbrella, delivering free independent advice through a member network of bureaux — structurally and operationally near-identical to CABNZ's federated model.
• Citizens Information (Ireland): Irish statutory provider of free, impartial information on rights, entitlements, and public services via a network of local Citizens Information Centres — the closest analogue to CABNZ in another English-speaking jurisdiction.
• Citizens Advice Australia: Australian federation of Citizens Advice bureaux providing free advice on rights and services; shares the CAB brand heritage and federated national-umbrella structure with CABNZ.

Broad incumbents

• Community Law Centres o Aotearoa: New Zealand's largest provider of free legal services to low-income communities across 24 locations; overlaps with CABNZ on housing, welfare, and consumer rights, but operates under a lawyer-supervised model.

Emerging players

• Victim Support New Zealand: NZ-wide nonprofit providing free 24/7 support to victims of crime and trauma, partially overlapping with CABNZ's family, violence, and abuse advice categories.
• Age Concern New Zealand: Federated NZ nonprofit supporting older people with information, advocacy, and welfare-related services; overlaps with CABNZ on elder, retirement-village, and superannuation advice.
• MoneyTalks (Sorted New Zealand): Retirement Commission-funded free financial mentoring and budgeting service; overlaps with CABNZ's money, debt, and Inland Revenue advice categories.

Regional players

• Community Justice Centres: Government-funded alternative-dispute-resolution and restorative-justice centres providing free community-based services across NZ; comparable in delivery model and target audience to CABNZ's complaints/mediation work.
• Citizens Advice Western Australia: Western Australian Citizens Advice branch providing free advice and advocacy; operates in a single state but shares the CAB federation model, brand, and core service categories with CABNZ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/citizensadvicenz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-advice-bureau-nz
• Instagraminstagram.com/cab_nz
• TikToktiktok.com/@citizensadvicebureaunz

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Citizens Advice Bureau NZ