Award-winning energy coaching programme EnergyMate will join forces with financial solutions organisation Debtfix to help even more people struggling to pay their power bills.
EnergyMate supports families facing energy hardship and has helped more than 2,500 households manage their power use and budget since 2019.
Debtfix provides phone-based advice to help families strengthen their financial situation and achieve freedom from debt.
Electricity Retailers' Association of New Zealand Chief Executive Bridget Abernethy says the partnership is a sensible next step.
"EnergyMate has achieved great success in 12 locations throughout Aotearoa. However, it is challenging to expand the programme to offer national coverage for all households due to the availability of local support providers."
“This is why ERANZ is testing a remote delivery model of the EnergyMate navigator approach to reach far more whānau throughout New Zealand, including those in isolated areas who might not have access to in-person coaching.”
Abernethy says the phone-based method will appeal to some people and will be able to give them efficient assistance where an in-home energy coaching visit is not possible.
“Coaching via phone enables additional referrals to be made to the EnergyMate programme so we can support more whānau. Debtfix is an ideal partner for this initiative, thanks to their extensive experience in phone-based community support.”
Debtfix CEO Christine Liggins says her team is already helping clients with energy bill problems, making a partnership with EnergyMate a logical choice.
“Our FinCap-trained hardship specialists will bring experience in working with clients who are struggling financially, including being in debt to their power companies, to expand the EnergyMate success story into even more regions across New Zealand.
“EnergyMate training will improve our hardship specialists' skills in supporting whānau with energy needs and making referrals to other services where required.”
Abernethy says whānau who are having difficulty paying their bills should contact their retailers or the EnergyMate service to see how they can help.
"If you're facing difficulties, reach out to your retailer. All providers offer support options, such as affordable payment plans, referrals to budgeting assistance services like EnergyMate, and working with customers to protect their credit ratings from the effects of debt.”
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Media enquiries: Rob Zorn, ERANZ Communications Lead: 021 726 273 | media@eranz.org.nz
About EnergyMate
EnergyMate is an award-winning community-based energy coaching programme that provides targeted support to families and whānau at greatest risk of energy hardship.
Since 2019, the programme has supported over 2,500 households with energy and electricity-specific interventions and helped people become more engaged as energy users. For more information visit: https://www.energymate.nz/.
About Debtfix
Debtfix is a phone-based hardship and debt solutions charity with around 14 FTE, which provides comprehensive hardship and debt advice solutions to individuals and their whānau.
Debtfix offers a free wrap-around advisory service that provides people with solutions to get their money matters and lives back on track. For more information visit: https://www.debtfix.co.nz/.
