Who we are

The Newtown Ethical Lending Trust is a registered charitable trust that has been making interest-free loans to the Wellington community since 2012.

The trust was launched in collaboration with local budgeting services and members of the community dedicated to helping Wellington families gain financial independence.

We are completely not-for-profit, and rely on external grants and donations to operate.

What we do

We make interest-free loans to people in the Greater Wellington Region as an ethical alternative to high-interest lenders. Our loans are 100% interest-free, with no fees or hidden costs. We lend to a maximum of NZ$6,000.

We offer loans to people on low incomes for essential goods and services such as car repairs, medical expenses and household items like washing machines. We may also be able to help if you have existing debt that is unmanageable.

We pay directly to creditors, and then borrowers pay us back at affordable rates over a period of up to 2 years. As soon as repayments start coming in, we can lend that money to other people in our community that need it.

In this way, a small amount of money can help multiple individuals and families become debt-free.

Our clients must be actively engaged with a Budget Advisor / Financial Mentor.

Learn more about how we work

Our purposes

To provide interest-free loans as an ethical and low-cost alternative to high-interest lenders.
To assist in breaking the cycle of debt and to foster financial literacy and independence among individuals and families in the low-income bracket.
To be a long-term, viable source of funding for people in need.
To provide a model for similar organisations to be able to expand and adopt elsewhere.

Our people

Dr Vania Tan

Trustee

Alison Cadman

Trustee

Alison manages a Wellington community housing organisation that provides affordable housing to people in need. She has a proven track record of effective strategic, financial and operational management with excellent relationship management skills. Alison has been a trustee at NELT since November 2015

Len Cook

Trustee

Len is a statistician who has spent his career in government statistics, and remains actively involved in aspects of social policy and public administration. Len is a founding Trustee of our Trust,

Ajay Ravindran

Trustee

Ajay is a civil servant with a previous academic and professional background in science and technology.
He has a passion for youth empowerment, and social enterprise, among other things. He has been a trustee at NELT since 2020.

Natalie Perret

Trustee

Natalie is a lawyer with experience in government, international and non-governmental organisations, and private consultancy. She is committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion and improving access to justice. Natalie has been a trustee at NELT since 2020.

Deb Potter

Trustee

Tia Crichton

Trustee