A Tauranga woman who hit rock bottom in debt has turned her life around and now helps others in her community facing similar struggles.

Tanea Reihana, known as Barnee, walked into the Welcome Bay Community Centre in May last year drowning in debt, ashamed and terrified.

She aimed to fix her finances and save her family home from a mortgagee sale. Instead, she found connection, purpose, and a way to support others in need.

Buying a home in 2019 marked a major achievement for Barnee and her husband. But within two weeks of moving in, her husband’s health deteriorated, and doctors performed open-heart surgery in August that year.

As the main provider, his illness left the family struggling. Barnee, already the primary carer for their children, including a severely autistic, non-verbal 12-year-old, had to manage alone.

Bay Financial Mentors financial mentor Sue helped Barnee tackle her debts and refinance the mortgage. Transitioning from a paycheck to a Supported Living Benefit proved challenging.

Then, in 2020, her father died, and her eldest son moved home with two children. Their three-bedroom house soon held eight people, including three teenagers, and required a cabin for extra space.

“Life became too difficult. I was on autopilot and disconnected from myself, my husband, my tamariki and whānau,” Barnee said.

Sue’s confident, honest approach created a safe space for complete trust and transparency, Barnee said. The Centre’s Total Money Management programme provided the structure and tools needed to control finances, curb impulsive spending and prioritise their needs, Welcome Bay Community Centre whānau connector Judiann Tapiata said.

“Working with Sue gave Barnee the relief she needed to work on herself as her situation had left only a shell of the amazing wāhine toa she is,” Tapiata said.

Barnee became an active participant in Centre programmes. The Wāhine Supporting Wāhine programme helped her prioritise self-care, making her a better mother, wife and person, she said.

Now a key volunteer, Barnee collects kai from Good Neighbour every Tuesday and assists whānau at the Centre.

“Watching her stress, shame and anxiety melt away has been inspiring,” Tapiata said. “Seeing her become a self-assured, generous-hearted wāhine and witnessing the ripple effects on her whānau and the community has been an honour.”

By the end of this year, the family’s only remaining debt will be their mortgage.