The Beneficiaries and Unwaged Workers Trust (BUWT) was founded in Nelson in the early 1980s by locals who refused to stand by while hardship grew around them. Four decades later, that same compassion drives our small team today. We walk alongside those in our community who are struggling — parents and caregivers, people living with illness or injury, superannuitants, new arrivals, and families facing sudden loss of income.

Our vision is simple yet vital: a community where everyone has access to their basic needs, is treated with dignity, and feels seen and supported. We believe poverty and unemployment are not personal failings but symptoms of wider social and economic systems. Our work restores hope and self-worth by helping people access the support they are entitled to, often at moments when they feel they have nowhere else to turn.

Local employment changes have created more unemployment and under-employment, and demand for our free advocacy has never been higher. Each year, we help hundreds of people recover over $150,000 in vital income support, money that flows directly back into Nelson homes and shops.