Cambridge Salvation Army NZ

26/05/2026

The Salvation Army says proposed changes to New Zealand’s social housing system risk placing additional strain on people already facing significant hardship. Announced ahead of Budget 2026, the reforms include increasing income-related rent for social housing tenants from 25 percent to 30 percent ...

22/05/2026

The mission has not changed.

The Salvation Army started in 1865 in London, when William and Catherine Booth refused to choose between preaching the Gospel and feeding the hungry. They wouldn't pick one. They wouldn't separate them. They believed faith and service were one thing, and they built a movement around that conviction.

The work crossed the Atlantic in 1880. It's been in this country ever since.

A lot has changed in 160 years. The buildings look different. The technology is different. The neighborhoods are different. The needs are different.

The mission hasn't budged.

Faith and service. One thing. Always.

21/05/2026

I've been sitting with today's social housing announcement and I keep coming back to the same thought: this policy has been designed around numbers on a spreadsheet, not around people.
Let me tell you what I see.
Social housing is not where people choose to live — it's where they end up when every other door has closed. The private rental market has already rejected them: their income is too low, their history too complicated, their family too large. For these New Zealanders, social housing is not a stepping stone. It is the floor.
Today the Government decided to charge them more for it. From April next year, minimum rent contributions rise from 25% to 30% of income. For 84,000 households, that's an average of $31 more a week. I want you to think about what $31 means when you have nothing to spare. It doesn't get absorbed. It becomes debt. And debt, for people already at the edge, has consequences that ripple through families for years.
The redesigned needs assessment will funnel the most complex, highest-needs people into social housing — but without any additional funding for the wraparound support that makes tenancies work. We are being asked to house the hardest cases with fewer resources to support them.
And then there are duration limits. The Government's own data shows these people cannot access the private market. Putting a time limit on their tenancy doesn't create a pathway out. It creates a deadline — and on the other side of that deadline is the street.
I also want to speak up for the community housing providers — the charities, trusts, and iwi — who stepped forward when the state couldn't do this alone. They invested their own money, built homes, and signed long-term contracts in good faith. They were not consulted before today's announcement. They find out the same way everyone else does — through the news.
That's a profound breach of trust with organisations that took a risk to help solve a public problem.
Good housing policy creates stability. Stability creates everything else — health, education, employment, family wellbeing. What was announced today undermines all of that, and shifts the cost onto the people and organisations least equipped to bear it.
I'll keep saying this until someone listens.

21/05/2026

21/05/2026

'We thought we could ride it out and manage ourselves, but we had to admit we needed help, which isn’t easy.'

Manaia and Taika* had two incomes, four kids, and still weren’t making ends meet.

A hole in their bathroom floor was so dangerous they had to race their kids to keep them safe.

Their savings were gone. Their youngest was bringing food home from school.
This is the reality for many working families.

With support from The Salvation Army, they connected with a financial mentor who stood beside them, even advocating at the bank.

Three days later? Two mortgages consolidated. Top up approved to fix the bathroom. One payment they could manage.

No judgement. Just practical support.

⭐ Stand beside families doing it tough—become a True Hero today:
https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/trueheroes/

* Names have been changed.

17/05/2026

The Cambridge Salvation Army would like to sincerely thank the amazing Cambridge Community and New World Cambridge for your generous donations towards our Family to Family appeal.

Your kindness and support will help local families in need with food and essential items during difficult times. It is wonderful to see our community coming together to care for one another.

We truly appreciate every donation and every person who helped make this possible.

Thank you for helping us make a difference in our community

06/05/2026

Would you be interested?
Comment YES / MAYBE / NO”
Each box would include a mix of seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Will count comments.

04/05/2026

This week, our incredible army of volunteers are on the streets across Aotearoa New Zealand for the Red Shield Street Appeal.

Every coin dropped into a bucket helps fund vital wraparound services like food support, housing, addiction services and counselling.

When you see our collectors, give them a wave, say hello, and if you can, please donate. It takes an army. Every day.

Donate: https://secure.flo2cash.co.nz/donations/salvationarmyappeals/DonateSecure.aspx

29/04/2026

When Leona and Nick moved to Auckland for a fresh start, rising rents changed everything. 💔
With nowhere to go, they needed help — and found it through The Salvation Army and supporters like you.
A safe home and wraparound care gave their whānau the chance to rebuild.
💬 Read their story and see how your support helps change lives — because changing a life takes more than one person.