When you are just making do, all it takes is one serious accident to suddenly mean you can’t make do. For hardworking Duane, it was a back injury that took him out of his timber mill job and while he recuperated his ACC income was 20 per cent less than usual.

Throw in a global pandemic when he was just getting back into fulltime work, along with his wife losing her job, and you have a seemingly insurmountable financial blizzard.

When people are vulnerable it is so easy for them to pile up mountains of debt, which further adds to their distress and feelings of hopelessness.

Two years ago, Racheal (not her real name) was at a financial and emotional rock-bottom when she turned to Debtfix for help.

Numerous factors put a Kiwi family that had always done well, into a dire financial situation that made them feel like failures. They were desperate until they found Debtfix.