Salient

Thanks for perpetuating the stereotype of a lazy and unmotivated dole bludging student you fuckwit. Not all of us choose to live this way.

Yeah, because Salient has never sensationalised a heading before…

Good article - this country treats students appallingly - no wonder there is a brain drain! The Government either wants to trap students with a lifetime mortgage called a student loan, or see youth remain uneducated. Students are the most-suffering group in this country and it is deeply immoral and unfair. Education should not just be for the rich, as it is today. The rich are usually brain-dead from being so out of touch with reality.

Judging by your comment Brad you must earn a lot of money…

Maybe it is WINZ workers who need to be aken to court to explain why they do not give full entitlement unless we begg then threaten legal action.

get a job and stop spending my tax money!

I am a mother on DPB, and am appalled by your article. Being unable to work full time I work part time, and am worse off due to the abatement system and secondary taxation and no I am not a student. Your article has gone nationwide.
When despite my hard work I cannot adequately shoe and clothe my children during winter or keep bills up to date because of high charges, then I see you encouraging people to try and get free cellphones and clothing for jobs they don’t want I think you have a jolly nerve. As someone who is going to be one of our future professionals your sense of ethics is in the gutter. Having left my number on the Salient answerphone if you’re even half the journalist you claim to be, I challenge you to ring it and hear the real story. Of what life is really like on a benefit. Not just as an individual wanting to party at the taxpayer’s expense, but as a family for whom spending decisions mean paying bills in full or feeding/clothing growing children. Oh and when they get sick having to owe the doctor. .

Sailent is an embarasment to Victoria University.
It’s ashame that you encourage our students, future leaders to participate in your disgusting way of life.

HAY DAVE YOU N00B WHILE YOU WERE FINGERING THAT PIE THIS MORNING I RIPPED OFF YOUR HOUSE AND SLEPT WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND

The main reason people don’t get their “Full and correct entitlement” is because they do not tell their case manager ALL the FACTS about their situation. They Lie and omit and only say what they think case managers want to hear. And they base that on what other equally ill informed people have told them about what they heard their friends cousins aunt heard someone got.
So if you want you entitlement stop seeing your case manager as the enemy and be honest with them and yourself, you’ll be suprised and how it will change your life!
Remember by encouragaing other to “rip-off” the systems by making themselves look worse off tan they are to maximise their benefits, it money theGoverment could be using to make the life of the student better, the student who will become a tax payer with their degree, whose money are they ripping off then?

You hit it right on the head with that one Nick.

Yea, and join the ranks of labour supporting, dole bludging, economy draining ,blood sucking parasites… i guess you will be in the minority and it wont last, hang on its mmp, doesnt work like that! who was it who said “Get a job ya Bum!!!”?

all of these schemes are a load of shit, Im a student that does not get shit from the govt… i choose to work my ass off throughout the semester every year to gain a qualification that will further myself and contribute to the countries skilled professionalism… and what do i get at the end of the year? a fucken tax bill because i earn t over the income threshold with my part time job that i need to pay for my studies. which in turn requires me to pick up more hours to pay off the fucken bill. a vicious cycle. i work hard and pay my taxes for fucken auntie Helen and her labour sidekicks to give to all the lazy fucks out there not prepared to work for a legit living.

sdsadsadsad

Sydney, that is precisely the problem, it should not be up to the case manager, it should be set in stone, written down so that everyone can access it, or nobody can. The circumstances under which you qualify need to be written as well.

You can not have a system that allows the case managers to give taxpayers money to some beneficaries and not to others based on how they feel.

That is why I think that all of these extras abolished completely. If that would not leave people enough to live on then the benefit has to be raised.

‘Laura’: IRD can look upon two full-time jobs, or a part-time job and an income from WINZ, as equivalent to one full-time job, so I’ve heard, and therefore you don’t need to pay secondary taxation. I suggest you make an appointment at the IRD to talk over this possible opportunity for you to keep more of what you earn.

interesting article…
my view is, if u are entiltled u are entitled…
however, most of the time we do not get we are entitled to due to the judgements of work and income workers.
i recently required urgent dental care and was on the bones of my arse. when i approached the local winz to where i live which is based in one of the lowest socio economic areas in new zealand, i got the feeling as soon as i walked in that i was a little too ‘white’ and a little to well dressed to be welcomed. i was told to go back the next day as i apparently didn’t have the ‘right’ documents with me.
the next day i was drilled by a woman wanting to know what i could possibly have spent $12 on at Briscoes (a mother’s day card and wrapping paper) and whether my versace sunglasses were real! WTF!!?? They are but might I add they were a present, and were brought off trade me!
they then told me my dentist quote was too dear and sent me to one in the slums that actually worked out more expensive by $150!
After all of this crap it was finally approved, much to my relief. I suppose they do have systems in place to weed out the bullshitters but honestly, where do they draw the line???

How interesting that Nick has demanded that “Laura” provide evidence as to why she is only working part time and claiming DPB. I am on the DPB as my husband left me and our 2 kids on New Years Day this year, without warning or prior anything, to live with the woman he had been having an affair with. He expected us to live on no money, no savings, no food in the cupboards (we were due to go grocery shopping a couple of days after he left). I had been working up until a week before Christmas, and stopped at the joint agreement of my (now ex) hubby and myself, due to medical/illness issues. I was due to start studying from home towards a B.Comm this year, and my DPB and Training Incentive Allowance(s) have enabled me to persue this, while it is inadvisable medically for me to go out to work (I have immunity issues currently). My DPB provides income for me and my children to live on. It is not alot, $275 per week basic benefit + Family Support + Accommodation Supplement. A total of $472 per week. Paying of bills takes care of $350 pw, and groceries for my kids and myself takes a further $100 per week. Leaving me with $25 each week for me to clothe and shoe my children, pay for their medical costs, and any transport requirements (I don’t drive). My ex doesn’t contribute any more that he absolutely must (child support doesn’t come to me, it goes to the government to assist with my “upkeep” while I am on the benefit, and is compulsory) financially, and decided that he only wanted to have contact with the children once a fortnight for 5 hours. He has told me that when I do start work (after study) he is planning on going on the unemployment benefit, so that he only has to pay the minimum amount of child support ($18 pw). He decided that his girlfriend and her 2 kids are much more important that his own children, and thinks nothing of regularly spending a considerable amount of money on them, but won’t buy a pair of shoes ($20) or a pair of jeans ($14) for his own kids from The Warehouse. Being a parent on the DPB and trying and managing to support yourself and your children is hard enough. Getting flack from those who consider themselves better than you, simply because of a situation of circumstance, is horrendous. As my Mum would say, “there but for the grace of God goes you”.

The scheme is designed for all of us who may be in genuine need.

Nevertheless, there is no “them” to rip off! There is only an “us.”

At various times of our lives we all either draw from the scheme or contribute to it through taxation. We are all an “us!”

Taking an observers point of view, I’ve had a student loan, struggled to find a job, with student allowances and dole, after getting a job I’ve paid taxes since, raised a family on single income without government assistance. So been there done that and dragged myself out of it. That said, I do advocate for a fair system to support those in need due to situation or circumstance to keep people in housing and give children in challenging situations the best possible opportunity for both a childhood and an educated future.

It is interesting to see that the the premise about this article and a lot of the comments are about getting money out of the government. All of the commentary about the extras highlighted is just an advance of money, with a few exceptions, this has to be paid back.

Has anyone thought maybe this attitude to money is part of the bigger picture? Some of you here and our future children, will struggle to scrape together enough cash to get a deposit for a house let along earn enough to pay the mortgage of the future. Just ask an economics student how it works…

The premise of have it now pay for it later is making the later very expensive and allowing the multinationals offshore to get rich in the process. Surely an attitude of creative thought and some focus on how to get the most from our collective system (Government, NZ Businesses and Employees included) without ripping the system off in the process is better than I’ll have it now and won’t think about tomorrow.

Keep in mind those students today who are relying/rorting on our less than perfect system will be the ones paying for their parents government pension and providing the taxes to pay for those cheating bludgers in the future, that is if they don’t bugger off off-shore to those pillaging multinationals….

The main reason I’m leaving this country soon is because of people like you! And I wish I’ve never come here in the first place. To think that I have been paying taxes from day one, for the last 10 years, for the lazy bums like you! So, Australia, here we come!! At least there are less loopholes and more hope!
PS. With three degrees to my name (the last one a doctorate) obtained without a student loan, I’m still doing a menial job here because I’m foreiger (with no kiwi experience), but at least I’m not ripping off the honest people who work in this country.

Cheers!

The peace I have since I got my full time job was never when I was on benefit, I am enjoying my job, I worked as labour when it was impossible for me to get a job in 90’s. Then I worked in the night shifts and jobs security guards, night porters and taxi driver. I was trying very hard and today after the 9 yeras efforts I own a company and realy enjoying my job, I do not even wanna think about going back on benefit, I may still be qualified for some benefits but I rather spend that time at my work.

I think working full time is stress free and If some one is going to dhole office every day thats a very stressfull life why we choose stresss. When we can l.ive stress free. Those days are gone when It was immpossible to get a job now there are plenty of jobs waiting hope the students will enjoy it.

I think who should go on benifit? If some one is sick, pregnant,disable,child,or have child single mothers,retired or in a emergency. Not some one who say I can not find a job and never try for one.

well, this story is very interesting, I admit, I have used some of these similar systems before, (years ago- when i had nothing) but one day you also as an individual may wake up and think, what am i really doing with my life? living off the govt anyway i can, what a great example am i setting for myself, my whanau or families. yes i still see WINZ or the Govt.still havnt really plugged the loopholes,if they do, others are created by some other educated individual,-pity its possibly for the wrong reasons, as a director now of my own company, I pay shitloads in taxes but at the end of the day, its all about survival in this day and age and if the govt know of these loopholes and yet still let people still get away with them, then i not surprised why anyone wouldnt use em, very interesting article,

Being on the DPB or any other benefit is a choice? Well, it doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out that it’s best to take the benefit, if the only alternative, for example, is homelessness!

Seann: you’re right. NZ has become a place where you’re either used or you’re one of the users. There’s not a lot of middle ground anymore, which of course is very unfortunate for those of us who don’t want to use people and don’t want to be used ourselves.

There is not much of an incentive to be a student. It’s financially easier to be an unemployment beneficiary than it is to be a student, which is ridiculous. So what happens if you’re one of many that doesn’t have parents or other relatives there to pay for the costs of the course you want to study in order to better yourself? You can beome an unemployment beneficiary, where you get money without having to pay it back, or you can try to survive as a student, where you get a student allowance but you also have to get a student loan for thousands of dollars. That really sucks. I’d like it if the Government encouraged people to work and study. Those of us from less wealthy families would jump at the chance to study or work, but if we can’t find work, then all that’s available for us without going into debt is the dole.

Actually Adam its much better being on a student allowance without a student loan than on a benefit - all you need to do is 6 courses, can earn $150 per week without your benefit abated and you can access subsidies. If your partner is not working full time he/she can earn up to $360 a week if you are not working at all without the student allowance being abated. However, if you are means tested through your parents income its a lot more difficult.

Too many students get a student loan for living costs and rack up huge debts instead of biting the bullet. Living off the student allowance and accessing subsidies from Studylink and working part time is much more sensible if you are able to budget.

I cant believe how many free loading, dishonest, dipshits support this piece of shit article. If your intention was to piss of Case Managers, well done! But you have also pissed off a lot of harding working, HONEST tax-payers! Not only have you got the attention of Case Managers, you’ve most probably got the attention of the Benefit Fraud Squad who will most probably investigate every single student ‘grants’ etc ….. thanks a lot you stupid-arse, shit for brains, dick head!!

poo

Good insite to entitlements but its all good while you’re a student and live in a false reality where everyday life has no consequences. Unfortunately all students leave varsity and usually get a real job and start contributing and in turn may even get pissed off by people getting their full ‘entitlement’ from WINZ.
Paying of 20 to 30k of a student loan when its your own hard earned money certainly gives a slightly different perspective to things. Its even better when you go offshore to get real wages and get charged outlandish interest rates on said student loans to help subsidise benificiaries we were all so keen to be when times where different….
Swings and roundabouts…

i live on the invalids benifit not by chioce, i suffer from severe R A (arithritis) i hav one child, after i pay my rent i hav 200 dollars to pay food,power,phone ,meds, school fees, cloths we get given cause wins dont help me much at all, even with a poor card my doc bills are still 35 bucks , i dont have a car and me and my child go without alot as do students i cant blame people for taking what they can from the winz story and running, the goverment make me and alot of people live on nothing and beg for everything i get, i can come from winz feeling that i should top myself because im one of the undeserving, my child an i live on 20 grand a year but on the news last week they said it costs 92 grand a yr for one prisoner , get that… life is not great for all on a benifit someones got to look afta the kids the men dont they walk an start new lives , i wish i could work i did rite up until i got ill , those were the days a

Good article. I can see why the spin and tone of it has p*ssed off a few people, but the guts of the info you’ve given is accurate.
I worked for WINZ in its earlier incarnation of NZISS for some years. Some things haven’t radically changed since then: beyond the basic benefit and common top-ups its mostly a case of “don’t ask - don’t get”. Hana’s situation is a common one. This is where student welfare groups & organizations like the People’s Centres are necessary - they can let you know what things you might be eligible for beyond the basics and how to go about getting them.

The title would have given them an excuse to make a big song and dance over nothing. It is a silly title - but it is largely serious factual content. If its an attempt at sarcasm or satire - then fine - but remember, we’re dealing with very narrow-minded and obedient individuals at WINZ and the MSD. They lack the intellectual, creative and complex thinking ability so the title would have been enough for them to exaggerate. This habit of bureaucrats jumping the gun seems to have gotten worse since Labour became government.

Good point Adam, that’s why the Peoples Centre exists, you are entitled to the things mentioned in the artcile by LAW (regardless what some of the reactionaries say on some the contents above e.g. calling people bludgers), and if the case manager refuses these entitlements even when you are jumping through the hoops they are not doing there job fairly.

WINZ have over reacted big time about this whole article, nothing illegal about the article, WINZ just don’t like being pointed out for not giving people their full entitlement (because just like the cops with their speeding tickets quota, they get rewarded for giving as little money out as possible).

As for those comments like:

“This is not ripping off WINZ - This is ripping off the tax payers.” - Tracey

NO ITS NOT! Because the government made these entitlements LAW/POLICY

“i had a job as soon as i finished training. i have no sympathy for students moaning about money. there are other ways to live without ripping of the NZ tax payer!” - Hahn

THATS THE POINT of the article if you don’t have a job you STILL need clothes for an interview that’s what the clothing allowance is intended for! Not every student has a job lined up already!

“get a job and stop spending my tax money!” - barry

WHAT DO YOU THINK STUDENTS ARE DOING BARRY??? They are getting qualifications so they can get a job and a lot of them have to BORROW a pittance ($150 per week) just to live through the Govt Loan shark system…

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ARTICLE! It is LEGAL and rightly so sticks it to Work and Income for being stingey bureaucrats…

There is nothing wrong with good debate about welfare in general (e.g. should we have it or not) but personal attacks and calling people bludgers without saying anything constructive is a waste of time.

Paul wrote” Why should someone who gets pregnant, goes to prison, or simply doesnt work and lives on a benefit for long enough get their student fees paid for out of a training allowance, while someone who has never depended on a benefit has to pay for thier own?”

Exactly. You`ll have to ask your MP that one. Work and Income have no say in the matter.

ADAM wrote: It all depends on the case manager, though, doesn’t it? One may let you have dental work to be paid by W&I; another may not. You may be legally allowed to have the dental work and have the Government pay for it for you but it can take a hell of a long time if you have a slack or mean or useless case manager.

One way around this and any other instant refusal is to ask “Can I have a reason in writing now?” The case manager probably won’t want to do that. But it is important to record everything said — try recording with a dictaphone (the CM can ask you not to, so just say - “Fine, but this is going to take time…then get a pen and paper out - they can’t prevent that — or take a friend who can be your scribe…). Another legitimate strategy is to state: “This is an emergency situation, please hold an administrative review of decision immediately”. The case manager MUST have the refusal reviewed by his/manager straight away. If this doesn’t work, request a Review of Decision and write a letter of complaint, start with the Service Manager of the branch. Any old piece of paper is fine. There is a form though. When writing, one only needs to state: “Please review the decision” and sign and date it with your WINZ client number. No need to go into the complexities etc. Never give WINZ information they don’t need to have - less is better. As others have said here - see the Wellington People’s Centre at Lukes Lane - the advocates are trained in understanding legislation - and policy - but they focus on law first.

Contact a benefit advocate if you are a student or a single mother, etc. I was struggling and they helped me out. It is not ripping off winz. Beneficiaries get taxed too fyi. You have to give winz your IRD number for that reason. For anyone putting down those on a benefit, consider this-you don’t know WHY they are on a benefit. You don’t know their life story so please don’t judge. Myself and many people I have known on a benefit, don’t like being on one. We hate it. My mother was on DPB for years. Solo parent and later an adult student studying a BA in Pyschology.
I was made redundant and had trouble getting a job plus I had have chronic fatigue. I study via correspondance and a free computer course. I occassionally get contract work. Extra/acting. Not a dole bludger!!!!!!!!. I used to work full time too. Just standing up for people like me. This is a good article mainly aimed at ex fulltime students. They have big enough loans to deal with so they deserve more help. My flatmate for example, studied at a drama school for three years full time $33,000!!!!!!!!. She doesn’t really get much work and is on PACE a benefit through Creative NZ. Winz never suggested any extra supplements to her. She is living off $160 a wk!!. That’s shocking!. Now she is looking for ANY job just to have money and to start paying off her mammoth loan. She can’t just wait for work. Stupid erratic film industry. You see my point?. Cheers

I thought this article was irresponsible - and there is nothing much in the article that isnt already on the Work and Income website. Maybe posting a link would have been more useful?

I spent 4 years as a Case Manager - and it was the most rewarding job Ive ever had. Generally speaking, you often meet people who are at their lowest - people who have recently been unemployed for the first time after working for 40+ years, people trying to escape abusive partners, people with short life expectancies etc… So forgive me if I dont have the same amount of empathy for a student who has no money because they went out clubbing… The secret to enjoying my job was not to buy into the sterotypes as depicted in this article… Getting people into work, and seeing them months later, happier, healthier and with a bit more pride in theirselves.

Most Case Managers and Service Managers do try to make a difference, and do try to provide their clients with the full and correct entitlements - they also try to help their clients towards work/training. There were often staff working long after the doors closed, without overtime. But does this ever get published??? No… I (and some of my colleagues) would also come in on Saturdays (again, often unpaid), but did that ever get published??? No…

And its not just about collecting a “dole” payment, its about providing a bit more financial freedom and better futures to New Zealanders.

There will always be stories of bad service - whether its Work and Income, IRD, McDonalds, the Dairy down the road…. and even *shock horror* benefit advocates…

And as for this article sending shivers up the spine of politians and senior MSD officials - I dont think so. They would be more concerned with the person on their desk than what some sensationalised article in a student newspaper. If it didnt make it into the Herald, it probably wouldnt even be on the radar. And for every article like this, there will be articles (especially in small town papers) about Work and Income helping people in genuine need.

PS.

I don’t want the State and its dogs poking their noses into OUR/MY business. Just give us the state handout and f-off!!!!

NO ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIRED. NO NEED - A CIVILISED SOCIETY WILL DO THE ABOVE IN RECOGNITION OF THE ECONOMIC INEQUALITIES THAT EXIST & WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL PEOPLE WAKE UP

Excellent article Dave. Well done. Susan ( the neo one)

umm this very excellent information for those who really need this support..BUT..there are a.s.s.h.o.l.e.s out there that use this system which is ‘ripping it off’ whether it be WINZ or the taxpayers..i know of people who would prefer to sit on their backsides playing PS2 all day waiting for thursday for the benefit and guess what??? they buy cigarettes, drugs and alcohol..these are the ones who force their partners to go on DPB so they can have their $$$$ to themselves, they have no regard for their family!!!

and if all this doesnt work then just get off your ass and get a job and pay your own way like everyone else has to. the benefit is supposed to help people as a last resort or in between jobs ya lazy pricks

Hi Steve,
I think you’ve missed all the hating on this page.
Please delete it forthwith in accordance with your censorship policies.
Thanks,
Phillip

In the year 2002 I earned $50k gross. Once I had deduced all money of no substance to me (all taxes, registrations, levies, permissions, licenses and interest etc) I was left with $11,500. Then, after I had paid for electricity, phone, medical, basic clothes and food for a family of three - I was left with $288. This was my true discretionary income… With this I was supposed to maintain the emotional, psycological and physical well-being of three people. The GST I paid for this year equaled 18 weeks of my food budget and the GST I paid on the food alone was 3 weeks of my food budget. $288 equals about 11 cents per hour. At the age of 15 I spent 12 months in Waikeria Borstal - here I was paid 12 cents per hour. I am of the opinion that this government and all before and all after do not want us to succeed in life; or to be happy in our endeavours… only that we would offer our bodies up as a continued sacrifice for the extraction of money for the payment of interested on a national debt to which repayment of principle is never factored… ie, tax demands just keep going up and up and up…

Yeah, that’s awesome - you know what? I wish my parents could’ve done the same. Unfortunately for them, they had to work to pay your benefit. I’m not bitter. I’m glad you enjoying bludging.

In any other country this would not arise. Hence why so many “students” come to NZ and stay on, while earning external income offshore via the extended family. What a holiday camp for immigrants.

I have been on an Invalid’s benefit for 10 years. Before anybody calls me a bludger I had a motor ACCIDENT which left me with a “permanent and serious disability.” After ACC weaseled out of their responsibilities I was left in the hands of WINCE (oops,sorry, WINZ) As a single guy I have been left on a absolute pittance. Even with all the additions and extra allowances and having been left a freehold flat by my dear old Mum (RIP) I can still only just cope. My budget does not include fripperies such as clothes, holidays, WoF and registration, Christmas presents for the great nieces, booze, going out with my mates to a restaurant or a show etc etc. Thank God my sense of humour is intact!! However I was in the work force for 26 years and paid my taxes. The benefit is my due and I am not ashamed to collect every damn penny I can squeeze. If someone uses WINZ for a helping hand to get started or to support them if good times go bad then that’s fine by me.

I am an older person. 6 weeks ago WINZ decided they had lost my Disability Form and have stopped my Disability payment. I have been over to the Naenae Office 6 times and each time have been told it is being dealt with, but still nothing has happened. Could anyone please advise to whom do I now turn to. Thanks.

Dear George, in a way your article has given me some information, but I have asked to see the Manager and Assistant Manager and have been told “they do not deal with complaints”. so had to leave them a written letter two weeks ago. Still haven’t heard anything. please what is my next move??? Go to Head Office in Wellington????

Well your an idiot aren’t you!! For some of us who did attend Uni and now work for a living it sickens me that my hard earned tax goes to bludgers as much as it already does without scum like yourself encouraging more lazy shits to get anything and everything they can. Encourage people to get a job and look after themselves rather than to live off others who do have a life!!

To be honest, I actually liked the article…not the topic so to speak…but I appreciated having a good read up on things I didn’t know existed - and all available to the public.

Yes the article has caused an uproar. Some things I think were misinterpreted. It was an individual yet informative outlook on a way of survival for alot of NZers out there. Alot of comments both negative and positive being thrown around…so I think it’s only fair that since I’m posting a comment, I might as well have my say.

I have nothing against people who are on benefits. I pay taxes just like alot of people out there…and it only pisses me off when I hear of people claiming DPB while their partner who lives with them earns upto $1000 per week, and they’re basically getting around $1100 in the hand. That’s just greedy and unfair. And those people deserve to be caught out. But some people do it to survive. Like when your partner gets $68 dollars per week on student allowance and you have two small children. What are you supposed to do?

I would probably say that for the family trying to better their situation by getting educated to get employed and off the benefit - I don’t mind. For them, it’s survival.

But to the family who can’t be bothered living off your partners income because cutting off that extra boost - means no new luxuries this week. Stop being greedy and stop ripping off the system!

I think some people are missing the point. This article isn’t about how to rip off the government/taxpayers. It’s informing you of benefits you’re legally entitled too. Any issues should probably be sent to the government, rather than posted on the Salient website (we don’t really give a shit, mans).

Because sensationalist headlines attract readers, and thus get info out better to those that need it better than moderate headlines ever could.

No its not. Yes it is. No it doesnt.

evee, if you understood anything about journalism you would know that writers do not sub or title their own stories. So, yes, I had no control over that title, m’kay.. I found out the same way you did.

tuning in the old internet

dialing up salient fm

listening to a discussion about an article that was published 3 months ago

good quality radio

“That’s weak”

Hey, if it’s good enough for NW, it’s good enough for us…

..thats because you left off the z in WIn.

beating a dead horse here

new editor, and hopefully a new direction for salient (no titles left behind…)

I think I finally understand Evee. I thought she was mad but now realise she is a time travelling genius….

Thanks, but I don’t watch Transformers.

MAKE WAY FOR THE NEW GENERATION!

ISP loll let me just chec my gmail accnt

Please … mine was but a small part to play. I am an attendant lord to the likes of the inimitable Kyle McLachlan

Recently I was laid off from work, and then signed up for the dole, grudgingly. I searched hard for work, at one point applying for 48 jobs in one day. I managed to get an interview in Hamilton (I am based in Wanganui), which WINZ paid for, however they told me they expected me to travel there, attend the interview, and travel directly back. At the interview, which was on a Friday, I was told to report back to the company on Monday to sign papers, and that I had pretty much got the job. Managed to find a way back to Hamilton on Tuesday (at my expense, because WINZ told us they would help us make up the rent money I had to use to get there)signed the papers, and was told I would be working for them soon, pending my security clearance. Meanwhile in Wanganui, our notice had been put in, with the final inspection date looming up at us. Our car is stuffed, sitting in the garage waiting for a part. My wife has been into WINZ several times where they told her they would pay for the part. Now, just today, two days before our final inspection date, Rachael Burroughs of Work and Income Wanganui has refused to make back up the two weeks worth of rent promised to us, refused to pay for the car repairs promised to us, and to top it off when we explained that we now have nowhere to stay in Wanganui, that’s me and my pregnant wife and two small children, all she had to say was (and I quote) : “That’s not Work and Income’s problem”. So now, if I pack it in with the job, they cut my benefit. If I don’t I have no idea when the work will start, or how I am going to get back to Hamilton, let alone where my family will stay.

I’ll be sure to post back on here later, in case anybody would like to know how we end up getting by!

An informative article, albeit one sided. I think as a nation we are very fortunate. In most countries they do not have financial assistance, help with job placements or training, all of the services WINZ provides for free. I was a student once and was very grateful for the assistance. I was a solo mother on the DPB once and again was very grateful for the assistance. I now work damn hard for my money and do not begrudge anyone who uses the services that WINZ offers with the right intentions. Never judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, and yes it does come down to choices but who is to say you won’t be unfortunately placed in the situation where you need financial assistance from WINZ. I think your article has been very informative and helpful to those that may need extra help, which lateley seems to be most of NZ.

Re: Sira comment

I for one have tried to find suitable employment over the past few years but it is not a easy thing to attain. I have multipliable illness that limited what I am able to do.
I am luckily in that I do have a part time job which I am only able to do with the help of taking pills to keep me standing. Three are days that the pain drives me insane but now with the pills I can work, but the side effects leads to other forms of being ill and not able to work. I totally understand that there are those who so rip off the system but there are those who do not.
Each day is a blessing when you have the strength to get out of bed and be able to do the daily task of taking care of oneself, it is when you are unable to, when you are the person who is alone with you illness. But even as you are alone you are made to jump through the WINZ minefields of red tape. Never once getting a clear path to the end as you proform for a person who while trained in the art of what you are able to get and not get but never really understanding what it will mean for you, when they have a job that paids them enough to paid their bills.
But you get to joy of jumping from mine to another with no one to turn to, it is in that moment that it doesn’t seems so fair.

Mike Bryant is wallowing in total ignorance! There are some very cruel case managers out there who deliberately withhold information from suffering clients. When I was studying on the DPB my accommodation costs were killing me. My children were literally starving, I used food grants up very quickly. My case manager was very aware of this. I only learned from the financial assistance person on campus during my second year that there was such a thing as a Special Benefit, and that I qualified. On going back to my case manager and asking about it she just shrugged and said OK. She was very aware of entitlements. Also, assistance for medical care is a total failure, as it only pays in arrears, so if like me you can not actually afford the first Doctors visit, you don’t get any. If you can not afford the first prescription, you get no help as you have to produce a receipt to qualify for help.The truth, Mike Bryant, is that beneficiaries are treated as scum by quite a few of your people, and you have some staff who can only be described as sadists who get their kicks out of watching children starve. I am not exaggerating. I and my children lived it. Is it any real wonder, as recent media articles have reported, why more and more people are being hospitalized with easily treatable and preventable illnesses?

Anyone on a benefit needs to have these links bookmarked:

Rates/Cutoffs: http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/manuals-and-procedures/deskfile/index.htm

Core benefit Info (including qualifications):
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/manuals-and-procedures/income_support/main_benefits/index.htm

Extra Help (supplementaries/SNG/advances)
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/manuals-and-procedures/income_support/extra_help/index.htm

Employment and training help:
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/manuals-and-procedures/employment_and_training/index.htm

Complaints can be done via the Contact Centre, and are responded to pretty quickly. There are plenty of changes introduced recently, the onus is now on the Case Managers and Customer Service Reps to fully inform clients of all possible entitlements.

I cant believe it…Talk about trashing the down and out.My god if you walked into winz this many times you would be a full time employee…to claim these many things…You have your head on planet pluto.I have been on the DPB And i spent 6mths watching my daughter try to survive..She was born at 24wks Gestation.Her father hopped on a plane back to ozzy the day i watched her have 10 apanea attacks one after another,she was on oxygen for months and we left the hospital with her on oxygen.I went to my rented apartment not flash but clean to live off a measley income.I was a high income earner before but couldnt go back to work.They dnt have oxygen cylinders at daycare.And i didnt envision been a single parent.But yes im responsible i stuck by my baby, her father didnt and now we just get by,I kid you not.This has been the most challenging year of my life.And those of you that work good on you be grateful you could end up like this one day.Who knows whats around the corner?
No one in there right mind likes to live in poverty,you definitely dont get rich this way…Have a heart and sort out your ego…..Dickhead..

Actually Rosemary, I worte that article. And youy are so wrong. I have been made redundant twice, and have been a client of WINZ, so I am well aware of the WINZ environment. Also, WINZ staff are not as unreasonable as you make out.