Tauranga Citizens Advice Bureau has a new face and interface with the public with a new website and logo.
The new website, www.cab.org.nz, offers the organisation's database of national and local information directly to the public.

Tauranga Bureau manager Kim Saunders and Mayor Stuart Crosby.

Citizens Advice Bureau NZ chief executive Kerry Dalton expects the new website will change the information landscape in New Zealand as people realise the wealth of information offered by CAB online.

'We have around 40,000 organisations and services in our database, reflecting the detailed local knowledge of our 92 Bureaux throughout NZ,” says Kerry.

'I believe this must be one of the largest and most comprehensive database of its kind in NZ.

'We also have national services listed and information about how the law applies on a wide range of issues.”

Tauranga Citizens Advice Bureau chairperson Col Cheyne says having the new website is a big step forward for the organisation and is the result of much hard work.

'The 56 current and 15 new volunteers at our bureau had to learn how to use the new IT system, along with updating and entering all of our local information into it, but it was all worth it,” says Col.

'Now people will have the choice to access the CAB information and service online – meaning we have the ability to help many more people.

'We really want to make sure that people know they can come to the CAB with anything and we will help them.

'We know that there are still people who don't know about the CAB or don't know that we can help them with any issue and question that they have.

'We hope that our new image and marketing will help us reach those people.

The new website is supported by Microsoft, which has given Citizens Advice Bureau one of the largest donations of software licences they have made to any organisation globally.

Microsoft New Zealand managing director Paul Muckleston says his company globally is deeply committed to working in partnership with not-for-profit organisations to help them use technology to advance social and economic development.

'The Citizens Advice Bureau nationally provides valuable assistance to over 1500 New Zealanders from all over the country every day and we are delighted to be able to invest in the organisation's future development to help it reach its full potential,” says Paul.

Westpac is also supporting the Tauranga Citizens Advice Bureau and it has received four refurbished computers and a laptop as part of a national donation.