This was due to a change in the way the budgeting services worked with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), although clients on benefits were still referred to the service.
"There are always beneficiaries who need help," Ms Gwillim added.
Since the change, more than half of the service's clients were either working or not referred by Work and Income New Zealand.
There was also a considerable fall in the number of beneficiaries in Whangarei in the last quarter - 3 per cent.
In the Far North and Kaipara districts, the number of beneficiaries rose by fewer than 100 people in each area.
Nationally, the number of people receiving benefits fell by 1.4 per cent, from 301,349 at the end of 2015 to 297,010.
The figures included those on Sole Parent, Supported Living and other benefits as well as Jobseeker Support recipients.
Whangarei Budgeting Service did not record the number of beneficiaries using the service, only the number of Winz referrals, Ms Gwillim said.
"We get referrals from the web, Citizens Advice and KiwiSaver providers."
Clients were often given some financial and budgeting advice at Work and Income offices.
"They're doing the initial part of it."
More complex clients were using the budgeting service recently, she said, including those seeking KiwiSaver hardship withdrawals.
The change to budgeting services was agreed on by MSD and the New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services last year.
Some areas such as Christchurch, Hawke's Bay and Whanganui had more beneficiaries in the last quarter of 2016 than at the end of 2015.
Auckland and Bay of Plenty both had large decreases in beneficiary numbers - about 4 per cent in each region.
However, unemployment remained high in Northland, with more than 10 per cent of the population on benefits.
More than two-thirds of the region's beneficiaries had been receiving Winz assistance for more than a year.