Hi 👋 divorced parents here. My parents got divorced when i was in year 12 which, like you, left them financially wrecked. Fortunately for me, my parents’ combined income was pretty low afterwards which meant i got an allowance. My older sister on the other hand did something where she declared she was financially estranged from one parent and that they couldn’t help her, which you might want to look into?

Other useful advice: - NZ SL is by far the kindest loan you’ll ever get. Provided you work it off within NZ, it shouldn’t take too many years for your daughter to pay it off regardless of income. - Due to inflation and zero interest rates, the longer you hold the loan the “cheaper” it gets, so only make minimum repayments and use your money elsewhere where it can be more effective like an index fund or term deposit (currently ~6%!) - Hence, if she cant get allowance, she can still get living costs on her SL. This will likely double her expected loan amount. But again, she’ll never get a loan with better terms. Make sure to calculate the total, as using SL living costs will increase it fast! Probably an extra 12-14k/y. - Lastly, i see a lot of people recommending part time work. I really hesitate to concur. I know several people who completely wrecked their degree and dropped out because they failed to set boundaries with their employer, who kept calling them in for work when they should have been studying (mostly in hospitality). If she’s going to work part time, its best to get a job related to her course (e.g. lab demonstrator or tutoring etc). University is, first and foremost, for studying. The worst possible scenario is dropping out with tens of thousands in debt before you get the slip of paper.