From today, people on a main benefit like Jobseeker Support could be hit with money management and community work sanctions if they fail to meet one of their obligations, which involve preparing for or looking for work.
Social Development Minister Louise Upston is defending the introduction of more sanctions for beneficiaries who don’t meet their obligations, despite uncertainty about their efficacy.
The money management sanction would mean half of a person’s benefit would be put on a payment card for four weeks and could only be used at approved shops for groceries, transport, health, and education-related items.
The other sanction introduced today would require people to complete at least five hours of community work experience per week for four weeks.
Upston welcomed the sanctions as a “sensible move” while Act leader David Seymour lauded the money management sanction as an Act policy since 2017.
“If you don’t like the sound of having your benefit payments managed, then you’ll need to put the work in. Apply for jobs, show up for interviews, attend employment expos,” he said.
Earlier this month, RNZ reported Ministry of Social Development couldn’t say whether increasing benefit sanctions led to more people going into work.
The coalition Government had put a greater emphasis on benefit sanctions since coming to power amid its target to reduce benefit numbers.
Reducing the number of people on the Jobseeker benefit by 50,000 to 140,000 by 2030 was one of the Government’s public sector targets.
As of December, the number of Jobseeker beneficiaries had increased to 213,300 with the overall target considered at risk.
Upston, speaking to the Herald last week, accepted the trajectory was “pretty grim” but argued the efficacy of sanctions was hard to quantify given the number of touchpoints beneficiaries had with the system.
“In terms of hard evidence about sanctions only leading to that person exiting a benefit and into work, yeah, it will be difficult to do that.”
Upston said she had been pleased by the 98% of beneficiaries who were complying with their obligations and said the almost 4000 who weren’t immediately fulfilling them was a lower total than she expected.
“I’m very sympathetic for people at the moment who are looking for work, it is tough out there, but I want to ensure that when the economy is growing stronger, those who are on the Jobseeker benefit have taken the steps they need to, so they are better positioned to get a job when they’re available.”
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Christmas gifts stolen from parked car prompts warning over holiday break-ins
An Auckland man whose Christmas presents were stolen from his car on a quiet street is warning others not to repeat his mistake.
Police and the AA say opportunistic thieves are breaking into cars more frequently during the Christmas period.
Jeremy Rees, an RNZ staff member in Auckland, had packed his car full of gifts when he decided to visit a friend.
“Everyone had handed over presents and we had a couple of bags full of presents sitting in the back of the car,” he said.
“I decided it would be great to go around and see a friend, drop off some presents and say hello. My wife said to me, ‘Are you sure we should be taking this car?’ I said, ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine’.
“I think it was only 20 minutes outside their house, a very quiet street. It was light [outside]. We came out and my wife pointed out that someone had smashed the rear window, reached in and grabbed the presents, and headed away.
“It was a shock. It was a shock partly because of the Christmas presents and partly because my wife had been telling me, ‘Don’t do that’.”
AA Insurance head of motor claims Beau Paparoa said roadside staff were responding to smashed windows more often.
“We definitely see car break-ins starting to occur a lot more around this time of year. We’re often hearing from customers and some of our roadside teams that there’s definitely a bit more opportunistic theft happening,” he said.
“We’re putting that down to it being a busy time of year. Everyone’s out doing their Christmas shopping and there’s much more presence of gifts and valuables being visible in the car.”
He encouraged people to be careful and make sure valuables were hidden from view.
“In terms of any valuables, if you’ve done some Christmas shopping, or if generally you’ve got valuables in your car, try [to] keep them locked away or out of sight – in your boot if you can,” he said.
“Where you’re parking is possibly a good thing to think about. If you can afford to, don’t park on the street, but if you have to park on-street, make sure you park in well-lit areas.”
Police said it was not uncommon for Christmas presents to be stolen.
“The key is to remove any opportunity. This includes taking valuables or documents out of vehicles wherever possible,” a spokesperson said.
Rees said he wished he had followed that advice.
“I feel a bit stupid, to be absolutely honest. I read all of the things from police saying ‘don’t do this, don’t pack your car, don’t just leave it on the street’, and I did exactly the opposite and I paid the price.”
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Auckland Harbour Bridge summer works
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is carrying out essential maintenance on the Auckland Harbour Bridge this December and January. The southbound clip-on lanes will be closed (24/7) from 26 December to 5 January for road resurfacing. Night-time lane restrictions will be in place throughout the summer for recoating work on the bridge. Traffic will still be able to travel in both directions at all times.
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