Latest news with #JobseekerBenefit
RNZ News
a day ago
- General
- RNZ News
Jobseekers facing benefit sanctions have to volunteer but charities say they're swamped
Ministry of Social Development office in Masterton. Photo: Google Street View A charity in Masterton has been swamped by people needing to work voluntary hours to stay on the Jobseeker benefit - and is having to turn people away. The government requires beneficiaries to do community work as one of its sanctions for failing to meet their obligations. Wairarapa Resource Centre runs a recycling shop and provides work experience for 25 people at a time, to help them get back on their feet. Manager Trudie Jones said people on Jobseeker benefits were turning up every week, asking for 30 hours of voluntary work. "The saddest thing is when your benefit, when your money, is reliant on it, they want you to say yes and if you haven't got a yes and they're looking at you, what are you going to say? I'm really sorry I can't take you on." She said the centre had a list with 15 people who needed the voluntary hours to keep their benefit. The Ministry of Social Development, MSD, could require someone on a Jobseeker benefit to complete at least five hours a week of voluntary work, for four weeks, if they missed an appointment or other obligation. Beneficiaries then had two weeks to find that work and have the employer verify once it was done. Trudie Jones said she gave people tips about where else to find volunteer hours in the town. "It's upsetting because ... I know they're going to lose their benefit and I know that they're in a crisis already and the last thing they need from me is to say that I haven't got the hours and I'm sorry you're just going to have to go and look somewhere else," Jones said. "So I try really hard with people to try and get them to rethink, go away from here and find other venues." MSD's regional commissioner Darlene Rastrick said community work experience was a new sanction which was introduced on 26 May and was among a range of sanctions available if someone did not fulfil their obligations on the benefit. She said people would not be given the community work experience sanction if there was no voluntary work available, they would instead be assigned a different sanction. Separately, Rastrick said people on the Jobseeker benefit may be encouraged to gain work experience, which could include looking for voluntary work. "This is not a sanction. If there is no voluntary work available, the person will not face a sanction. There is no stipulated maximum number of hours required for this job search activity." MSD says community work experience is a new sanction which was introduced on 26 May. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King She said MSD would be contacting the Wairarapa Resource Centre to understand its concerns. "Currently, there are no clients assigned community work experience as a non-financial benefit sanction in Masterton," Rastrick said. But Trudie Jones said that has not been her experience. RNZ's request for the number of people on a benefit who have missed an obligation and been asked to do voluntary work is being provided by MSD under the Official Information Act, in 20 working days. Allison Tinsdale works as an advocate, helping people navigate the benefit system. She recently helped a man find 30 hours volunteer work in Masterton after he missed an appointment at the local WINZ office, but said it was not easy. "We accompanied him to five charity stores to ask is there any voluntary work. We had one person who came up directly and said to us we're getting lots of enquiries for voluntary work, nobody in Masterton is able to offer 30 hours voluntary work," Tinsdale said. "If we weren't there I think this person would have ended up in homelessness." Other charities were also noticing an increase in people on benefits seeking voluntary hours. The SPCA has 92 op-shops and 28 animal shelters across the country, which were staffed by 6000 volunteers, as well as paid workers. Its general manager of retail, Cathy Crighton, said there had been a 56 percent increase in applications for voluntary roles in the three months from May compared with the same period last year. She said some of these were from people trying to hold on to their benefits. "Yes it is a requirement but they want to be engaged so it's an opportunity for them to still be out there in the workforce and I think it's also a balance of getting out of the house when you're unemployed and looking at different options to keep busy." She said the SPCA was not turning people away but did background checks and interviews before taking on volunteers. "I would suggest it's more of a win-win because it gives work experience to a job-seeker as well as the opportunity to learn new skills and to have a reference available to them for the time that they've donated." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
23-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Grand Theft Academia: Government Continues To Rob Young People Of Their Futures
Press Release – VUWSA Inflation adjusted, Budget 2025 has only made room for a measly 3% increase in student allowance funding and has also made it harder for young people to access the Jobseeker Benefit by introducing means testing. Te Aka Tauira – the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) is staggered by the Government's failure to fund tertiary education, and failure to provide any meaningful support for students struggling through with the cost of living, a lack of jobs and gutting of public services. VUWSA President Liban Ali says, 'This Budget fails students. Costs are rising, but support isn't. Students are working longer hours to get by. Study is harder. Life is harder. We asked for help – the Government gave us nothing. Freezing student allowance thresholds is a cut by stealth. This Budget ignores the student cost of living crisis. It makes it harder to live, and harder to learn. Once again, students have left behind. We deserve better, we won't forget this.' This year's Budget has nothing to offer students, with bread-and-butter initiatives being underfunded by the Government. Inflation adjusted, Budget 2025 has only made room for a measly 3% increase in student allowance funding and has also made it harder for young people to access the Jobseeker Benefit by introducing means testing. VUWSA is also concerned by the 20% reduction in funding for essential student loan management services while, as has been recently reported, students have already been facing increased wait times to access essential funds from StudyLink. 'It is disgusting to see the Government continue to overlook student poverty.' VUWSA's Welfare VP, Josh Robinson says, 'In the aftermath of the rise of public transport fares, increased energy prices, and cost of living, the Government is both setting a price on the human right to education and robbing it from us in broad daylight.' VUWSA is disheartened by the Government's continued failure to adequately fund the Tertiary Sector. 'Education is a public good.' said Academic VP Ethan Rogacion, 'It is time that our Government starts acting like it.' This year's Budget allows Universities to hike fees up to 6% and sets aside some funding for some STEM subjects but still comes at significant costs to students. 'The Government has disestablished the PM's Scholarship for Asia and South America from June, has made University more expensive, and has pitted faculties against each other by increasing funding for STEM at the cost of humanities subjects,' Rogacion says. 'Our Government has a responsibility to its students, to ensure that all young people can get an education that helps them achieve their goals, and does not merely push them into fields they deem to be economically useful.' In addition, Engagement VP Aidan Donoghue adds, 'To give with one hand, and take with the other, is not growth, it is stagnation. I am puzzled as to who or what this goal of growth is for? It certainly isn't for women, students, the poor, health or education? 'It's matter of choice, and this government is making active choices that undermine decades of social investment. The average student has thousands of dollars invested in them, and all the opportunities they've been promised have been ripped out from under them.'
Scoop
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Grand Theft Academia: Government Continues To Rob Young People Of Their Futures
Te Aka Tauira – the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) is staggered by the Government's failure to fund tertiary education, and failure to provide any meaningful support for students struggling through with the cost of living, a lack of jobs and gutting of public services. VUWSA President Liban Ali says, 'This Budget fails students. Costs are rising, but support isn't. Students are working longer hours to get by. Study is harder. Life is harder. We asked for help – the Government gave us nothing. Freezing student allowance thresholds is a cut by stealth. This Budget ignores the student cost of living crisis. It makes it harder to live, and harder to learn. Once again, students have left behind. We deserve better, we won't forget this.' This year's Budget has nothing to offer students, with bread-and-butter initiatives being underfunded by the Government. Inflation adjusted, Budget 2025 has only made room for a measly 3% increase in student allowance funding and has also made it harder for young people to access the Jobseeker Benefit by introducing means testing. VUWSA is also concerned by the 20% reduction in funding for essential student loan management services while, as has been recently reported, students have already been facing increased wait times to access essential funds from StudyLink. 'It is disgusting to see the Government continue to overlook student poverty.' VUWSA's Welfare VP, Josh Robinson says, 'In the aftermath of the rise of public transport fares, increased energy prices, and cost of living, the Government is both setting a price on the human right to education and robbing it from us in broad daylight.' VUWSA is disheartened by the Government's continued failure to adequately fund the Tertiary Sector. 'Education is a public good.' said Academic VP Ethan Rogacion, 'It is time that our Government starts acting like it.' This year's Budget allows Universities to hike fees up to 6% and sets aside some funding for some STEM subjects but still comes at significant costs to students. 'The Government has disestablished the PM's Scholarship for Asia and South America from June, has made University more expensive, and has pitted faculties against each other by increasing funding for STEM at the cost of humanities subjects,' Rogacion says. 'Our Government has a responsibility to its students, to ensure that all young people can get an education that helps them achieve their goals, and does not merely push them into fields they deem to be economically useful.' In addition, Engagement VP Aidan Donoghue adds, 'To give with one hand, and take with the other, is not growth, it is stagnation. I am puzzled as to who or what this goal of growth is for? It certainly isn't for women, students, the poor, health or education? 'It's matter of choice, and this government is making active choices that undermine decades of social investment. The average student has thousands of dollars invested in them, and all the opportunities they've been promised have been ripped out from under them.'
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Businessman Hun Min Im used $1.8 million Covid-19 wage subsidy for personal luxury purchases
He managed to secure $602,202 of a total $1,879,288 from the wage subsidy payments. The charges filed against the defendant were brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the first wage subsidy fraud case of its type for the agency. Serious Fraud Office director Karen Chang today described Im's offending as 'deliberate and wide-reaching'. 'He created a complex web of fake companies and forged documents which our expert teams spent many hours piecing together. 'He stole the personal information of his tenants and applicants who responded to fake job ads he placed online, to use as shareholders, directors and employees in his companies. 'Mr Im took advantage of public money that was intended to support people and businesses during a time of significant stress and uncertainty. Any money he received was used to fund his personal lifestyle, including an apartment and luxury vehicle.' Judge Simon Lance acknowledged the 'enormous amount of work' carried out by the prosecution team, involving 'hours and hours' of information gathering for the trial. The summary of facts detailing Im's offending stretched to 83 pages long. Companies not operating in NZ, forged names According to the agreed summary of facts provided to the Herald, Im filed 42 applications to the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) in an attempt to obtain taxpayer-funded Covid-19 wage subsidy payments. Of the total, 13 of the applications were approved by MSD and 29 were declined. In reality, the companies listed on the 42 applications were not operating any business in New Zealand and were not employing the individuals listed in the applications, or any staff. The money Im obtained from MSD was used to fund his lifestyle. He filed further applications for Covid-19 subsidies with Inland Revenue (IR) seeking an additional $172,800 of funds that he was not entitled to for his companies. None of these applications were successful but Im still faced multiple charges for dishonestly using a document. To incorporate companies with the New Zealand Companies Office, Im forged signatures on director and shareholder consent forms. Two people involved with a company called Imperial had never heard of its nameand were not aware that they were registered as the director or shareholder. Im also filed GST refunds totalling $271,664 from Inland Revenue (IR) for his companies, falsely stating the companies' sales and income, purchases and expenses. In some instances, GST returns were filed for shell companies. During the period of his offending, Im also received the Jobseeker Benefit as well as an Emergency Grant of $16,146 in relation to housing assistance. Additionally, he received $50,074 from the Inland Revenue Department in Working for Families and GST-related payments. Emotional day in court Prosecutor Todd Simmonds said Im's offending was of a 'very calculated, premeditated nature' spanning a significant period of time. In this case imprisonment was the only 'realistic outcome' and 'extremely likely', he said. In court on Friday, Im stood up and begged the judge to be allowed further bail time to be with his heavily-pregnant wife who faces deportation. Defence lawyer Jeremy Bioletti said Im's wife's visa had expired, she was six months pregnant, and looking after a 3 and 5-year-old. The situation left her 'completely dependent on Mr Im's position,' he said. Im pleaded with the judge asking for, 'just a little more time to organise everything for my wife and children' as he said they had no family in Korea. Judge Lance said due to the likelihood of his wife being repatriated, there was going to be some disruption to the family dynamic 'one way or the other'. 'I take no pleasure in this to be honest, but according to law and given the circumstances, a remand in custody is appropriate.' He said Im's lengthy time on bail during the trial meant he had been given time to arrange his personal affairs. Im is due to be sentenced in August.
