Canterbury red zone residents - free financial advice consultations

Canterbury red zone residents - free financial advice consultations

As a residential red zone property owner, you have some important financial decisions to make about the Government's offer to purchase your property.

There’s a lot to think about.

Free professional financial advice

To help you get started, we’ve set up a free financial advice service - to give you ready access to free one-on-one advice from qualified, professional financial advisers.

These advisers have volunteered their time and services at no charge. They won’t sell you any products (unless of course you agree), or charge you for their advice. So there is no cost to you.

Financial advice to suit your situation

Professional financial advice could assist you – whether you’ve yet to decide about the Government offer, or have already accepted the offer for your property. 
 
A financial adviser could help you to work through:
  • your current financial position and the financial decisions you might need to make before deciding on the Government’s purchase offer 
  • your options for making best use of the payment for your property, in both the short and  long term.

Who is giving the advice?

The one-on-one consultations will be run by a group of local professional financial advisers.

The advisers don’t represent the Commission – they are from a number of well-known and reputable organisations and are all Authorised Financial Advisers (AFAs). This means they’re authorised by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) to provide certain services.  They can provide advice on a range of things from simple term deposits, insurances and mortgages, to other investments and financial planning services. 

Read more about the free financial advice consultations in our flyer.

Inside you’ll find....

  • Details of the free financial advice available to you 
  • Information on how to make an appointment
  • A checklist of things to take to your consultation

Download Red Zone free professional financial advice for residential red zone property owners, PDF (348 KB)

Make an appointment today with a local professional financial adviser

If you:

  • want to talk through your financial options? 
  • need an action plan to help you achieve your financial goals?
Make an appointment for a free consultation with a professional financial adviser.
 
Simply call the location that suits you: 
 
  • CERA Earthquake Assistance Centre: Corner Breezes and Wainoni Roads, Avondale - 0800 7464 2372.
  • Kaiapoi Earthquake Hub: 11 Cass Street, Darnley Square, Kaiapoi - 0800 639 000.

Red zone residents - a guide to your financial decisions

We've also put together a booklet and some other information that will guide you through your financial decisions. We hope the following information is helpful.

Take time with your financial decisions

You have nine months from the date of the letter of offer to decide what’s right for you, and up to 30 April 2013 to move out of your existing red zone house.

There is a lot to think about and it is important you understand the CERA offer and what it means for you. So take your time, consider your options and get advice before you make any decisions.

The CERA offer is not a windfall - what you decide now could have a lifetime impact.

It is important you make the right decision for you and your circumstances.

But you don't have to make the decision on your own. There is a network of information, support and advice available.

Where to start — an action plan of next steps

In short, here are some quick tips on where to start:

  1. Talk to your insurance company and the Earthquake Commission (EQC) about the current status of your claim(s)
  2. Meet with your bank to discuss your options
  3. Work out your current financial situation and what you can afford to do
  4. Contact your lawyer to get legal advice (or find a lawyer if you don’t have one)
  5. Think about getting some financial advice to help in your decision making – read all about the free financial advice on offer
  6. If you think you need more information or assistance - make an appointment to visit a CERA Earthquake Hub.

More information about financial advice

Getting financial advice to help you make your financial decisions is a good idea, but make sure you deal with qualified professional advisers.

For more information about financial advisers - see the special section of the Financial Markets Authority’s website for red zone residents.

It provides helpful information about how a professional financial adviser can help you, and what to look out for when seeking advice. Residents without internet access can call FMA's free help line on 0800 434 566.

More information

There are a number of organisations in Canterbury offering support, information and advice to residents. The CERA website has details of the various official agencies and community organisations offering assistance.

How Sorted can help

The general information and tools on Sorted can help you work through your financial decisions.

Sorted also has a range of calculators that might help you work through your options and determine what you can and can't afford to do.

A range of free Sorted booklets is also available. These can be ordered or downloaded online, or by calling 0800 SORT MONEY (0800 767 866).

Glossary: Commission