Latest news with #WorkandIncome
Newsroom
10 hours ago
- Newsroom
‘Nowhere to go' for more than 100,000 Kiwis
At 10.30am on a cold day in central Auckland, 61-year-old Cookie sits on a small blue bottle crate on the pavement, strumming his guitar and singing. The impromptu performance is taking place in Cookie's 'lounge'. On the ground next to him is his small mattress with a light duvet – that's his bedroom. All of it is surrounded by road cones to protect his patch. Cookie has lived on and off the streets for most of his life after stints in state homes, a boys' home, and jail. He has seen a sharp rise in the number of people living rough on the streets in recent months, which puts a strain on available food and resources. Statistics back that up – according to Auckland Council, the number of people sleeping rough or in their cars in the city has risen from 426 last September to 653 this January. Cookie blames family breakdowns and a rise in mental health issues for the increase in street living, and says the latter plays a role in behavioural fallout. Experts point to several other factors as well, including unaffordable housing, a housing shortage, the cost-of-living crisis, and social and systemic factors. 'If we're really honest, there's been a crisis around homelessness for a very long time in Aotearoa,' says Aaron Hendry, who set up an organisation, Kick Back, to offer wraparound support for young people sleeping rough, including 24/7 accommodation, health services, and legal advice. 'I think what we're seeing though is an escalating crisis.' At the time of the 2023 Census, 112,496 people were estimated to be severely housing-deprived. But the number of people actually living rough on the streets has jumped since then, according to those working with the homeless. 'The truth is that no one, no government, has really done enough, fast enough, to respond to homelessness and to respond to youth homelessness specifically. Yet, over the last couple of years, we've seen some very intentional decisions which are exacerbating the crisis and making the experience of homelessness far more dangerous and far more likely to occur.' He says one of the obvious examples is the move to introduce stricter entry criteria for emergency housing, and the requirements that make it more difficult to stay. 'The reality that we have seen … is young people going into Work and Income and asking for support for shelter and being denied that support and as a result having to sleep on the streets and not being able to get access to housing. He's seen children as young as nine turn up looking for help. 'Experiencing homelessness is really, really dangerous … The consequences are significant trauma, it's often really significant mental health deterioration, physical health deterioration. In the worst-case scenario, people die in really dangerous and complex situations.' He suggested New Zealand follow the lead of Wales, which trialled the 'Duty to Assist' legislation, which is a homelessness prevention strategy that's been successfully implemented to enforce the human right to housing. It holds local authorities accountable for their role in preventing homelessness. '[It] shift[s] the mentality from homelessness being an individual problem caused by individuals to actually an understanding that homelessness is a collective responsibility,' Hendry says. 'In practicality in New Zealand this would mean that if you went to Work and Income and you were sleeping on the street or maybe you were at risk of experiencing homelessness because something was going on, Work and Income would have an obligation – a legal obligation – to provide you with support to prevent that experience of homelessness or get you shelter tonight so they could start supporting you to get into stable accommodation.' He has some other 'simple advice' for the government. 'They could roll back their emergency housing reforms, they could roll back the reforms around the welfare system, which has made it more punitive on people, they could start committing to a strong public housing build programme … they could invest in a strategy to end and prevent homelessness. 'Right now the government could make some really clear decisions to start working toward a future where homelessness doesn't exist. 'If my child was sleeping on the street, on Queen Street tonight, it would be a crisis for me and I would do everything I could to make sure that that child was looked after, right? 'I think our government needs to understand that they have the same level of responsibility for children in this country and for all of us as a society and we need to understand that homelessness is a crisis, and respond to it with the energy that a crisis would demand.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
Scoop
10-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
NZCCC Ngā Rau Hotu Supports Calls For Urgent Review Of Funeral Costs
Press Release – NZCCC NZCCC Ng Rau Hotu echoes FDANZs call for the Work and Income funeral grant to be urgently reviewed and adjusted for inflation. NZCCC Ngā Rau Hotu (the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective) supports the recent media release from the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) regarding funeral affordability and the need for urgent legislative reform. Acting Chair Daniel Chrisp says the conversation about funeral costs needs to address the real issues. 'Reducing paperwork for cremations won't lower funeral prices. Many funeral homes already offer affordable direct cremation services from $3,000 or less. Families can also choose to arrange a cremation directly with a council-run crematorium, and many of our member councils are able to guide families through that process. Its important people know they have choices, though this can mean more to organise, like a casket and transport.' NZCCC Ngā Rau Hotu echoes FDANZ's call for the Work and Income funeral grant to be urgently reviewed and adjusted for inflation. 'The grant hasn't kept pace with rising costs. It needs a market review to ensure it actually supports those who need it most,' says Chrisp. NZCCC encourages and supports revision of the current government subsidies available for families and agrees that 'Fixing the paperwork' is not the answer to the problem. We support further development of transparency of Pricing and Service options amongst Funeral Providers and Councils so families can make an informed decisions in their time of grief. The Collective also calls on the Government to prioritise a full review of the outdated Burial and Cremation Act 1964. 'Small tweaks won't fix a system that was recommended for an overhaul years ago. It's time to bring this legislation into modern times,' says Chrisp.
Scoop
10-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
NZCCC Ngā Rau Hotu Supports Calls For Urgent Review Of Funeral Costs
Press Release – NZCCC NZCCC Ng Rau Hotu echoes FDANZs call for the Work and Income funeral grant to be urgently reviewed and adjusted for inflation. NZCCC Ngā Rau Hotu (the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective) supports the recent media release from the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) regarding funeral affordability and the need for urgent legislative reform. Acting Chair Daniel Chrisp says the conversation about funeral costs needs to address the real issues. 'Reducing paperwork for cremations won't lower funeral prices. Many funeral homes already offer affordable direct cremation services from $3,000 or less. Families can also choose to arrange a cremation directly with a council-run crematorium, and many of our member councils are able to guide families through that process. Its important people know they have choices, though this can mean more to organise, like a casket and transport.' NZCCC Ngā Rau Hotu echoes FDANZ's call for the Work and Income funeral grant to be urgently reviewed and adjusted for inflation. 'The grant hasn't kept pace with rising costs. It needs a market review to ensure it actually supports those who need it most,' says Chrisp. NZCCC encourages and supports revision of the current government subsidies available for families and agrees that 'Fixing the paperwork' is not the answer to the problem. We support further development of transparency of Pricing and Service options amongst Funeral Providers and Councils so families can make an informed decisions in their time of grief. The Collective also calls on the Government to prioritise a full review of the outdated Burial and Cremation Act 1964. 'Small tweaks won't fix a system that was recommended for an overhaul years ago. It's time to bring this legislation into modern times,' says Chrisp.
RNZ News
05-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
MSD to monitor whether stricter rules for accommodation supplement push people into hardship
Social Development Minister Louise Upston. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) will assess requests for hardship assistance to determine whether new, stricter rules for the accommodation supplement are pushing people to seek help elsewhere. From 2 March next year, payments from all boarders will be included in income assessments to determine whether people qualify for accommodation supplements or temporary additional support, and to calculate how much income-related rent people pay in public housing. At the moment, board payments are only included in this calculation when people have three or more boarders, or when it is their main source of income. Work and Income said that could mean people were paid less in housing subsidies or paid higher income-related rents. A spokesperson for MSD said because the policy change would mean a decrease in the rate of assistance received by some people, there could be an increase in applications for other hardship and housing supports. In earlier analysis, it had suggested that the $150 million the government expected to save over four years could be overstated because of this. "We cannot predict how many people will access hardship assistance and housing support products as a result of the change. As part of internal reporting for this initiative, MSD will monitor hardship assistance to see if it is increasing more than forecasted prior to this change. "If MSD identifies significant changes that may require further investigation (such as significant increases in hardship assistance, above what had been forecasted), MSD will investigate those further and provide advice to ministers." It has been estimated that about 13,200 households with boarders will be affected. Ricardo Mendendez-March, Green Party spokesperson for social development, said people who were receiving the accommodation supplement were already facing unaffordable rents. He said the government had not adequately communicated the impact of the bill. "Poverty is a political choice and this government has chosen to leave thousands of low-income families considerably worse off. The changes to the accommodation supplement are unjustified, particularly in a cost of living crisis. The government is trying to pay for their tax cuts by pushing low-income families into debt or to Work and Income to ask for hardship grants to survive. "Being $100 worse off each week may not mean much to wealthy government ministers, but for many families it's the difference between making ends meet or having to access a foodbank. We know that more families will end up needing to access hardship support because of this bill, putting pressure on families and other parts of the system that are already struggling to keep with the growing material hardship families are experiencing." Social Development Minister Louise Upston said there are various forms of assistance that are available to clients who need help with their housing and living costs and who meet the eligibility criteria. "This assistance will continue to be available to those people who are eligible, after 2 March 2026," she said. The minister acknowledges the changes could be unsettling but said they were necessary to make the system more consistent. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
31-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Emergency funds: How much is enough in 2025?
It might sound like a luxury, but it's one of the best tools for surviving in a world where price rises are outpacing wage growth and jobs are less secure. Even in 2025, with easy access to credit such as buy-now-pay-later and support from Work and Income and the community, having your own emergency fund still makes financial sense. All sorts of curveballs can derail us. Think: accident, ill health, business failure, and relationship breakdown, to name a few. The magic number of how much to save in an emergency fund is three to six months of living expenses. That might seem like a pipe dream for some. However, people who focus on the goal find a way to get there. There's a common myth: 'I can't afford to save'. In truth, it's the opposite; we can't afford not to. Get started with a few powerful personal finance tricks. The first is to track spending to free up money for savings. Set up small, achievable goals, such as the first $40 by the end of this month. Automate savings at the beginning of the month. Where possible, look for additional income such as a small side hustle. Get quick wins on the board. If you replace eggs on toast or leftovers instead of, say, $25 on takeaways, chuck the $15-plus into your emergency fund. Deleting UberEats can free up considerable cash. Any amount, even $5 or $10 a week, is worth adding to the fund. Start by saving just enough to cover one week of expenses. That alone gives you breathing room to pay a single unexpected bill or to help out whānau in a true emergency. But remember, the fund is for emergencies, not for everyday spending. So keep the money in a separate savings account that isn't linked to your Eftpos or debit card. If you're serious about building an emergency fund, beware of mistaking everyday spending for emergencies. That's confusing needs and wants. An emergency fund is not another Eftpos account to dip into. Nor is it for planned expenses such as holidays. It's meant to be a financial buffer. This is the time to scrutinise every dollar and ask honestly: is it a need or a want? A great place to start is the supermarket, where lateral thinking can reduce the bill considerably. Not everything on supermarket shelves is a need. I told a friend who was in the process of transitioning to a single income how I work on $3 per plate for protein as a rule, thanks to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign. It works. The concept left her a bit speechless. Also be aware that some personalities lurch from one crisis to the next. If that sounds familiar, then consider getting third party help. A good place to start is a budgeting centre or Citizens Advice Bureau, which can refer you to more specialised assistance if you need it. Sometimes the issue sits in our psychological make-up, not our budgeting skills. An emergency fund works best tied into a bigger financial plan. Goal Planner and Budget Planner can be helpful. Everyone's brain works differently, and for some people, a budgeting app such as PocketSmith or Westpac's CashNav app might work better. For others, a simple spreadsheet is the answer. I gave Gemini, Google's AI engine, some realistic figures of what someone might earn and spend on rent each month in New Zealand, and asked it to create a personal financial plan. I couldn't fault anything it said. I then asked Gemini to put its recommendations into a spreadsheet. It didn't give me a spreadsheet, but it did go into great depth explaining how to set one up, including all the formulas and the exact cells to copy them into. Finally, think of your emergency fund as an act of self-care and empowerment. Start small. Stay consistent. Your future self will thank you.
