Public Trust Government subsidy axed leaving thousands struggling
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The Issue: A removed government subsidy now requires vulnerable individuals under financial management to pay full, often burdensome, audit fees.
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The Warning: Public Trust officially advised Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee that these fees were causing hardship and help was needed.
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The Outcome: Proposed solutions to ease the burden were not acted upon, leaving the problem unresolved.
New audit fees are creating an unsustainable burden for vulnerable New Zealanders under financial guardianship. This follows the government's decision last October to axe a key subsidy.
Internal documents show Public Trust explicitly warned Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee and her officials of this hardship, presenting options to help. To date, none of these solutions have been adopted, and the financial pressure on protected persons continues.