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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Budget service now in South D hub
For the past three months, the Dunedin Budget Advisory Service (DBAS) has been operating from new premises in South Dunedin. The service, which works with people experiencing financial hardship and provides advice and support around family budgets, debt consolidation and more, is now based at the recently built Rakiatia centre at the Catholic Social Services hub in Macandrew Rd. Dunedin Budget Advisory Service (DBAS) manager Andrew Henderson said the move came about in the wake of a hui last year to discuss the future of the service in the wake of government funding cuts. The hui was attended by representatives of many Dunedin social sector organisations, including Catholic Social Services manager Melanie McNatty, who approached Mr Henderson with the offer of rooms in the new Rakiatia centre. Earlier this year, Mr Henderson and DBAS financial mentor Raewyn Bungard moved to the new space, where the service has access to reception and meeting rooms, along with its own office. "Things have gone very well since we moved out here to South Dunedin. The CSS hub has good parking, there are bus stops nearby, and there is a lot of synergy between us and the other organisations out here," Mr Henderson said. With many organisations finding it difficult to access budgeting services for their clients, there continued to be a strong demand for the service's expertise, he said. The DBAS has operated for more than 50 years as an independent service, with trained specialist staff — these days comprising Mr Henderson and Ms Bungard. "With just the two of us to do the work, it can be challenging, and we are getting busier and busier," Mr Henderson said. "The demand for our service is huge and growing all the time, as people battle with the cost of living. "One area where things are really growing is in the number of people wanting to make hardship withdrawals from KiwiSaver," he said. Ms Bungard said the service was hearing from an increasing number of people struggling to pay mortgages and rent, resulting in some experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness. "[Unaffordable accommodation] is the biggest cause of poverty — many families are paying more than 50% of their income in rents, or mortgages, rates and insurance," she said. Another area of concern was a noticeable increase in the number of people suffering with addiction issues — mainly around illicit drugs, which contributed to financial insecurity. "The help doesn't seem to be there for vulnerable people ... [which leaves] them on the streets or in vehicles," she said. One way in which renters could improve their situation was to ensure they received their bond refunds after moving on from a rental. Millions of dollars in unclaimed bond refunds were held by Tenancy Services, so it was really worth it for people to ensure they received the refunds they were entitled to. Mr Henderson said Dunedin Budget Advisory Service continued to administer the $160,000 Dunedin City Council Consumer Electricity Fund, which provided households in need with grants of up to $300 towards electricity. The grants came with conditions. The service was seeing some people who had experienced redundancy and had good advice to share. "If you have been made redundant, it is best to ask for help early and make contact with Work & Income early — there are definitely ways to get help," Mr Henderson said. And each year, people should do an annual review of their finances, including insurances, power, internet and other costs, and check their credit files. "We wish more people were passionate about financial matters," he said.
Otago Daily Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Great bloke, top groundsman 'hard to come by'
And he did a lot. The 61-year-old was posthumously awarded the Souter Trophy for groundsman of the year at the Christchurch Metro Cricket Association awards. Georgieff died in December after he was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer in February last year. Heathcote Cricket Club president Ralph Bungard accepted the trophy on his behalf. 'It's a nice recognition and shows the important impact he has had not just for Heathcote, but Christchurch cricket in general,' said Bungard. Georgieff's brother Nigel said he would have appreciated the award but it would not have been what mattered the most to him. 'He was more than happy to see the results of people playing good cricket on a good wicket.' Bungard said people were 'pretty torn up about' Georgieff's death. 'He's such an important part (of the club), not just as a character and an individual but an instrumental part of how the club operates. 'Like any club, we're reliant on volunteers and when you get someone like Roger who's passionate about the club, they're hard to come by.' When Georgieff learnt of his diagnosis, he realised he would not be able to continue his work as a groundsman. He put together a detailed ground management manual for the club to use after he died. It included a day-to-day guide on irrigation, rolling, pitch repairs, end of season repairs, even down to marking the pitch and putting the stumps in. 'He demonstrated to us what the standards should be for a ground like ours in a premiership competition,' said Bungard. He was born and raised in Heathcote Valley and joined the club in 1971 for the school boys team and went on to play for various senior teams. Georgieff stayed on as head groundsman for the club until the time of his death, a position he held for 42 years. 'In his last few months he was still physically showing people how to do the groundwork. That was incredible on his behalf,' Bungard said. 'He was just so passionate and would always be there if anyone needed advice. 'He absolutely loved the club.' Georgieff was made a life member of the club in 2005. His passion for community sport extended beyond cricket as he was a team manager for the Sumner Rugby Club for 12 years and chair of Canterbury United football for five. Sumner's opening game of this season was dedicated to Georgieff where a moment of silence was held in his memory. He also served as chair of the Christchurch Suburban Cricket Association from 2000-2012 and played a major role in combining it with the CMCA. He was made a life member of the CMCA in 2016. He worked as head of procurement at MG Marketing for Summerfruit NZ, of which he was made a life member for his 30 years of service. He was husband to Janine Gemmell and father to Zach, Nicholas and Dan Georgieff. Said Nigel: 'If you are going to do something, you put your heart and soul into it and Roger was never one to sit back and watch, he was always one to get stuck in.' Fittingly he spent his final day watching the Heathcote premier side play on the pitch he spent more than four decades curating. Said Bungard: 'It was a moving day. I think he liked the fact that he could see his legacy and how strong it was.' It was his final chance to say goodbye to the people from the club that meant so much to him. Said Nigel: 'He's made life long friends at the club and that was really important to him.' The following day he passed away through the assisted dying process. Just under 600 people attended his funeral, a testament to how many he affected. Said Bungard: 'There's a massive amount of people in the cross section of communities that he touched.'
