New governance is coming to Citizens Advice Bureau Pakuranga Eastern-Manukau (CAB PEM).
It’s becoming part of the Citizens Advice Bureau Auckland City (CABAC) after members of both the incorporated societies voted for amalgamation.
CAB Auckland has 10 branches in the old Auckland City Council area under its governance, while CAB Pakuranga Eastern Manukau has two longstanding offices, at the Pakuranga Library building and at Botany Town Centre.
CABPEM chairman Richard Ison says it approached CABAC to look at its merger idea because of concerns about its future viability.
“We considered that CABPEM coming under the CABAC umbrella would mean the 150,000-plus residents in our part of the city will continue to be served by a CAB.
“The merged entity will provide for shared administration costs, training and professional development for volunteers,” Ison says.
CABAC chair Robyn Gray says it has operated since 1999 as a merged entity and while the shared costs make “good financial sense”, service quality to Auckland residents and clients is the top priority.
“We have trained facilitators who deliver our training and ongoing learning to our more than 300 volunteers,” she says.
“Each branch within CABAC still retains its unique culture as our volunteers come from the local area and understand their local communities.
“This will continue under the amalgamated entity.
“CABAC is committed to ensuring that CAB serves its communities and acknowledges that Auckland Council our major funder wishes to see CAB working together as a region as much as possible,” Gray says.
Ison and Gray say it’s intended that the amalgamation will be completed this month, and that there’ll be no losses of jobs for paid staff, just a change in some responsibilities.
Citizen Advice Bureaus have had a presence and provided free services to Aucklanders for 75 years and some 400 volunteers are based out of all the branches including at Pakuranga East Manukau.
