Search

Associate Social Development Minister Jo Goodhew has welcomed the continuing success of the government’s welfare fraud initiatives.

“One of the key initiatives is close monitoring of low-trust clients who have previously committed welfare fraud,” says Mrs Goodhew.

“Prior to our welfare reforms, approximately 26 percent of clients re-offended.

However the latest report shows that none of the 1,698 clients who have left the close monitoring initiative so far have recommitted welfare fraud.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says that new mandatory safety checking requirements for people who work with children will provide greater protection for our youngest New Zealanders.

The new regulations, which come into effect on 1 July for all new core children’s workers, include a Police vet, a full identity check, comprehensive reference checking, candidate interviews and a risk assessment before they commence employment or contract work.

A Bill that supports the government’s $790 million Budget 2015 package to assist children in beneficiary and lower-income working households has passed its first reading in Parliament, says Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.

The Support for Children in Hardship Bill amends Social Security, Inland Revenue and Educations Acts, to help deliver the key components of the Budget package, which includes:

Budget 2015 helps more people into work and supports the Government’s Better Public Services target of a 25 per cent reduction in the number of people receiving main benefits, Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says.

Budget 2015 allocates $32.5 million in new operating funding over the next four years and $1.5 million in 2014/15 to help reduce long-term welfare dependency.

Budget 2015 supports the Government’s plan to provide better care for vulnerable children and families across New Zealand, Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says.

It provides $58.6 million in new operating funding over the next four years and $2.3 million in capital funding in 2015/16 to help vulnerable children.

“Our most vulnerable kids deserve the very best support we can provide,” Mrs Tolley says.

Budget 2015 includes a $790 million package to reduce hardship among children in New Zealand’s poorest families, as the next step in the Government’s commitment to address the long-term drivers of deprivation.

The package includes increased work obligations for sole parents on a benefit, more childcare support for low-income families, a $25 a week increase in benefit rates for families with children, and an increase in Working for Families payments to low-income families not on a benefit, Finance Minister Bill English and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley say.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has welcomed the release of a detailed report into the benefit system, which confirms that welfare reform is contributing to huge savings for taxpayers in the decades ahead.

The 2014 Benefit System Performance report is the second actuarial report on the lifetime costs of the benefit system to be produced by the Ministry of Social Development.

“We are seeing great gains in supporting people off welfare and into work, which is leading to better lives for families,” says Mrs Tolley.

Associate Social Development Minister Jo Goodhew today announced two new appointments and a reappointment to the Families Commission (operating as Superu – Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit) Board.

“Len Cook and Hon Dame Tariana Turia have been appointed to the Superu Board, and will bring valuable skills and experience to complement the existing Board members,” Mrs Goodhew says.

Mr Cook has acted as an expert advisor to the Superu Board since 2013 and is a specialist in the use of statistics and social science research.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has announced that people with unresolved claims of historic abuse in state care are to be given the option of a fast-track settlement, or to continue with the normal process.

Claimants who choose the new settlement approach will receive a prompt financial payment and a letter of apology from the Ministry of Social Development Chief Executive. This will be available for claims lodged before the end of 2014.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley welcomed the progress of a bill to extend access to New Zealand Superannuation and the Veteran’s Pension to those living in the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau after it passed its second reading.

"This will mean people will be able to depart New Zealand to live in the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau after the age of 55 and apply, without returning to New Zealand, for their super once they turn 65,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley and Revenue Minister Todd McClay say that taxpayers will soon be saving millions of dollars each year as a result of more efficient use of data from information sharing.

Improved automation of Ministry of Social Development systems from late 2015, away from a manual service, will allow it to identify overpayments of benefits much more quickly, so that they can be corrected sooner.

It is estimated that this more effective way of working will lead to Crown savings of around $100 million a year by 2018.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says the latest benefit figures show a further year-on-year decline as the New Zealand economy improves and welfare reforms continue to support families.

There were 284,260 people on benefit at the end of the March 2015 quarter, a drop of 11,060, or 3.7 per cent, compared to a year ago. The figures are the lowest since March 2009.

“These numbers are extremely positive, and they continue the downward trend of the number of people on welfare,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says an amendment bill passed in Parliament today addresses ambiguities and technical errors in the Social Security Act.

The Social Security Amendment Bill (No3) clarifies the Act to ensure consistency for students seeking accommodation assistance and for treatment of weekly compensation payments.

“The welfare system delivers assistance to over one million New Zealanders every year and we want to make sure people are treated fairly and equally,” says Mrs Tolley.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has announced that an independent panel has been established to lead a complete overhaul of Child, Youth and Family, to ensure that the agency delivers the best possible results for vulnerable children and their families in the decades ahead.

The expert panel, led by Paula Rebstock, will oversee the development and implementation of a new operating model to modernise CYF, enhance its governance and assurance, and will have a wide-ranging brief to consider all aspects of CYF operations.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has announced that the Social Sector Trials taking place in 16 communities around New Zealand are being extended for a year from 1 July.

The trials involve a number of agencies working together on the ground in communities to produce better results in delivering social services.

“The Social Sector Trials are demonstrating that a community-based approach can better coordinate Government resources to the people who need them,” says Mrs Tolley.

Associate Minister for Social Development Jo Goodhew has welcomed news that since benefit fraud reform initiatives began two years ago, up to $60 million of taxpayers’ money has been saved.

“Over the past two and a half years around 9,500 benefits have been cancelled after fraudulent and illegitimate payments were discovered. These changes hold people to account for their actions, and make it difficult to defraud the welfare system,” Mrs Goodhew says.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says the number of young mothers requiring a benefit has almost halved since 2009, meaning better lives for these families and fewer long-term beneficiaries.

It is a great pleasure to be with you here today as we celebrate an important milestone in progressing the Government’s Children’s Action plan with the launch of two new guidelines for people working with children. 

Safer Recruitment, Safer Children will help organisations choose safe people to work with children, and Safer Organisations, Safer Children will help organisations develop child protection policies.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley today launched two new guidelines for agencies and organisations working with children as part of the Government’s Children’s Action Plan. 

The Guidelines; Safer Recruitment, Safer Children and Safer Organisations, Safer Children advise on how employers of the children’s workforce can consistently recruit safe people to work with children, and how to develop good child protection policies that enable their workers to better identify and respond to the needs vulnerable children.

Sunday 1 March 2015 marks both Children’s Day and the beginning of Fostercare Awareness Week 2015. Social Development Minister Anne Tolley encourages parents of all kinds to spend time with their kids this Sunday.

“Children’s Day is a great time for families to have a bit of time out and fun together,” Mrs Tolley says.

“With hundreds of events happening around the country, there’s something for everyone on Sunday. I encourage parents and caregivers to check out what’s happening in their community.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has welcomed the latest valuation of the benefit system showing welfare reforms are having a tangible effect on the future costs of benefits.

“The June 2014 valuation shows the current lifetime liability of the benefit system is $69 billion.

“Our efforts to reduce long term benefit dependency are bearing fruit with a $7.5 billion reduction in liability.” Mrs Tolley says

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley today congratulated the winners of the Kickstart Breakfast Awards.

“In November last year I visited Holy Family School to celebrate 3 million KickStart breakfasts being served and today I am thrilled to return to present this award.” Mrs Tolley says.

Benefit and superannuation payments to more than a million New Zealanders will increase on April 1, says Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.

“In 2011 we passed legislation to make sure benefits increase each year in line with inflation,” Mrs Tolley says.

“Rates and thresholds for a range of Work and Income and StudyLink assistance will rise to keep up with increasing living costs.”

The Annual General Adjustment will see a 0.51 per cent increase to:

Almost 131,000 students applying for student loans and allowances have benefitted already this year from improvements to StudyLink, Associate Social Development Minister Jo Goodhew says.

“StudyLink has continued to improve the student experience and this has meant more students can apply online and get the answers they need from our contact centres without delay,” Mrs Goodhew says.

The changes have seen call waiting times reduced, with three-quarters of phone calls answered faster this year than last year.