MSD
Reality bites for Kiwi job seekers as unemployment climbs
Unemployment is at its highest level in more than a decade, but one expert offers a silver lining, saying that could actually be a sign of early economic growth Audio
Online diagnosis for autism no longer accepted by MSD
Autism New Zealand says the Ministry for Social Development is trying to save money by declining funding applications for people diagnosed via telehealth. Audio
Sanctions without benefits
Researchers into poverty are asking the government where the evidence is that its new benefit sanction regime will work.
Audio
Sanctions without benefits
Researchers into poverty are asking the government where the evidence is that its new benefit sanction regime will work.
Still adaquate budgeting support for those who need it - MSD
A time-limited cash boost for budget advisers during the pandemic has run out, so the Ministry of Social Development has run a tender process for services to apply for contracts, not all were… Audio
MSD stops funding existing budget advisory services
People struggling with their finances in Dunedin have nowhere to turn to for free advice - with one budget advisory service closing its doors while a Government-picked replacement is no where to be… Audio
Most MSD beneficiaries owe money to agencies meant to help them
Debt owed to government agencies by the country's poorest residents adds up to more than three billion dollars, and there's no easy solution Audio
Most MSD beneficiaries owe money to agencies meant to help them
Debt owed to government agencies by the country's poorest residents adds up to more than three billion dollars, and there's no easy solution
AudioSepuloni pleads ignorance over MSD spending on private rentals
It's a multimillion-dollar ministerial blind spot that is being called into question. Opposition parties are demanding accountability after revelations millions of dollars was shelled out by the… Audio
$24.1m boost for Māori trades, training for rangatahi
The government is putting $24.1 million of further funding towards Māori trades and training and reducing barriers to employment for rangatahi.
Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel… Audio
Disabled people in relationships paying for the price of love
People with disabilities in relationships are paying for the price of love - losing their allowances because they're coupled up.
MSD assumes people in relationships share their finances, but for… Audio
Unemployment down, but are jobs enough to cover rising costs?
The government's counting another drop in unemployment numbers as a win - but others say they don't paint the whole picture.
Over the past three months, more than 31,000 people found jobs and got off… Audio
MSD Minister discusses delayed reviews of sanctions cases
Thousands of women who had their benefits docked are still waiting for their cases to be reviewed more than two years after the Minister ordered MSD to take a second look.
The women had up to $28 a… Video, Audio
Gang members in emergency housing not a huge issue - Sepuloni
Parliament's been told gang members in emergency housing are not a "huge issue" in regional New Zealand.
Ministers have been facing questions about why gang members are allowed into emergency… Audio
MSD reviews of scrapped sanction cases painfully slow - AAAP
Advocacy group Auckland Action Against Poverty (AAAP) has 38 cases on its books, with women appealing past MSD sanctions, in the hope of getting years of deductions repaid.
One of those women has… Video, Audio
Woman sanctioned by MSD over fear of naming child's father owed thousands
Welfare advocates say thousands of women who had benefits docked unfairly because they could not or would not name their child's father could be entitled to significant lump sum refunds.
But the… Video, Audio
MSD in court on claims of failure to act over wage subsidies
A philanthropic foundation is taking legal action against the Ministry for Social Development over its failure to take legal action against a single wage subsidy recipient.
More than $13 billion was… Audio
A poverty 'crisis': New figures show demand for food, housing
Record numbers of people are asking the government for help to pay for their food and accommodation, with frontline community workers labelling the situation a 'crisis'.
New figures from the Ministry… Audio
Beneficiaries helped into work by govt, Auckland Council
The government and Auckland Council say they're landing jobs for beneficiaries as part of a scheme to deal with the looming skills gap.
As they pour billions of dollars into infrastructure projects… Audio
Driving youth into employment: more money needed
Some rural mayors and city councillors are calling for a big increase in funding for a scheme to help young people become more employable by learning to drive. Audio
