15/03/2026
Did you know that in addition to supporting people with our free service of information and advice, CAB also uses the insights we gain from this mahi to advocate for laws, policies and services that protect and support peoples’ human rights and wellbeing? It’s one of our aims as an organisation that we will do this work – and that has been the case since the birth of the CAB in Aotearoa in the early 1970s.
Every time we support a client, we record what they wanted assistance with and what we did in response. This gives us unique information about the issues affecting people in our communities. We use the insights this information gives us to seek changes that will benefit the whole community.
Our social justice mahi happens in local areas and nationally, and it can take a lot of different forms. For example, locally it can involve giving feedback in hui with local organisations, making submissions to Council, speaking with local MPs or local media, or holding or attending local events about issues affecting the community.
Nationally it can involve giving feedback in hui with government agencies, making submissions to parliament, speaking with Government Ministers or the national media, or holding or attending events to raise awareness about an issue.
Our service to members of the public is impartial, meaning that we give the same level of service to a client regardless of their enquiry, identity, background, or beliefs. Seeking laws, policies and services that protect and support peoples’ human rights and wellbeing is, however, by its very nature not impartial. That is because it means taking positions on issues, which not everyone will agree with.
We are guided in our social justice mahi by putting our clients at the centre. The experiences and needs of our clients are our foundation for speaking out and seeking change to make things better for them and for the whole community.
You can learn more about our social justice mahi and the issues we have been advocating on recently, by visiting the social justice page on our website at:
https://www.cab.org.nz/what-we-do/social-justice/
You can contact us by calling our free CAB phone number 0800 367 222, by dropping in to see us at 154 Bank Street, Whangarei (no appointment needed), or by contacting us via our CAB website at cab.org.nz.
