WINZ: where hope and dignity go to die

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 4th, 2017 - 66 comments
Categories: benefits, class war, disability, poverty, welfare - Tags: , , , , ,

This post by Chloe King is cross posted from millennialposse.wordpress.com


I’ve just come from a WINZ (Work and Income New Zealand) office out in East Auckland, I often go as an advocate for people on welfare. I do this because I know going it alone, mostly, means you will be denied entitlements, often leave empty handed and likely, humiliated. The person who I supported today, I will call Emma (most people on welfare would rather stay anonymous when I ask if I can write about them). Emma, had had her benefit sanctioned because she was unable to attend a few scheduled appointments with her WINZ caseworker. We discovered later that an IRD (Inland Revenue) error was at the centre of this ordeal.

Over the last year Emma, has undergone two major surgeries: one on her neck, another on her elbow, leaving her in constant pain and on heavy pain meds. On top of this, a few years ago she was diagnosed with early onset arthritis in addition to injuries to her nerves and spine. Her ongoing health issues make working incredibly hard because she can’t predict when she will have good days and when she will be stuck at home in chronic pain. She still can’t lift anything heavier than a milk jug, can’t sit in a fixed position for any period of time, and suffers from insomnia that will often keep her awake for 40 hours or more. That’s when the seizures start. Her health issues impact and compound her mental health which just adds to her brain fog.  Depression, the physical pain and the concoction of pills Emma is on to control her physical pain, make it hard to think clearly and just remember day-to-day things – like those all important WINZ appointments.

Between all the physical and emotional hurdles which Emma faces every-single-day of her life, she missed six scheduled appointments at WINZ. She was operating under the information she’d previously been given; that she needed to submit a medical certificate every three months and have a yearly review. Emma didn’t realise she wasn’t in compliance and as such, her benefit was sanctioned and cut to the bone. Resulting in her missing rent, having no money for food, and barely managing to get by. Because what better way to kick someone in the guts who is already struggling, than to to cut them off economically?

I want to say right now, right here: I feel welfare sanctions are a cruel form of (economic) punishment which are punitively administered for the smallest slights of ‘bad behaviour’. Which include (but are not limited to): forgetting or being unable to make a scheduled appointment, failing a drug test (seriously, don’t tell me *you* as a fully employed person, has never ever smoked a bit of dope, dropped a pill in the weekend, or downed a wine or three every other night), and refusing to take a job that may or may not be suitable for you.

If you want to get a welfare sanction lifted you are required to go and plead your case, to whatever caseworker has been assigned to you at the next available appointment. Either that or risk missing even more rent payments and then in turn, risk joining the 40,000 people in Aotearoa, who are homeless and living on the streets.

The WINZ appointment we had wasn’t exactly the worst I have attended. I’ve had caseworkers out right lie to me, make up WINZ policy, and actively yell in my face for calling them out on their bullshit and lies. It is always luck of the draw when it comes to WINZ: will the caseworker have empathy or will sociopathy be their preferred state of being? Who knows? But luckily this particular caseworker operated from a place of semi-empathy and reinstated her benefit with back-pay. When I asked for a food grant for Emma, the casework granted it without forcing us to jump through moral hoops. Being poor is now an individual and moral issue; not a structural or state issue.

I am just going to put-it out there and get all radical: No one in this damn country should be forced to beg for food. However, every single  day those on welfare are forced to do just that; beg for their most basic entitlements.  Only a few weeks ago RadioNZ reported that over 200 million worth of WINZ entitlements had been denied to tens-of-thousands of beneficiaries,

“The figures were in a report obtained by Newsub’s The Nation under the Official Information Act.

It showed 150,000 beneficiaries and low income families were not getting payments totalling $200m a year that they were entitled to.”

More often than not when I ask for a food grant the caseworker will demand the person in need of food justify why they deserve it and ask what happened to any extra dole money they had. Oh, I don’t know? Lack of dole cash might have something to do with the cold, hard, and shitty fact that WINZ payments are so low it barely pays rent let alone guarantees the basics like: food.

I talked to a sole mum on WINZ a few months ago who had recently discovered dumpster diving. She was so excited about it all because as she told me “I now have food security. I know I can find food no matter what. My family will not go hungry.” Ya’ fucking know our country is fucked when a sole mum is finding hope at the bottom of a trash can. And food security means going through bins at the backs of gourmet supermarkets like Farro to avoid going hungry.

In the end we got a food grant, we re-instated Emma’s welfare payments and got back-pay. We still have to go and print out some IRD material to get everything fixed up, which it seems WINZ can’t manage in an office full of printers. I am hoping tonight she has a tiny bit of economic breathing space. But what worries me the most is the despair and the sheer terror so many people I support at WINZ are feeling, this includes Emma. She bluntly summarised to me, her experiences with WINZ:

“Constant, exhausting terror, dulling your cognitive abilities because you’re in perpetual fight/flight mode.”

On the way home from WINZ, Emma told me she had come up with a ‘Plan B’ if she couldn’t sort out the WINZ sanctions. This plan was simple in execution: she was going to take her own life. She told me she didn’t want to “come across as dramatic” but she couldn’t see any other way out of it.

I understand what I just typed is heavy and hard; suicide is always a tough and painful subject. But I think we need a compassionate and public conversation around the very real and deep trauma that our State Social Systems are causing so many people. Like, forcing people to live off so little they are picking food out of a bin to gain food security is not okay. It is not fucking okay that every damn time I go to a WINZ office, caseworkers are actively making up policy. Even the ‘semi-empathetic’ caseworker we got today, still, lied and told Emma it was part of her “WINZ obligation that [she] come for an appointment once a month.” That isn’t true. Tonight, I spoke with an ex WINZ caseworker, who told me,

“What we [WINZ caseworkers] did to beneficiaries was awful… we were encouraged to dehumanise them.”

It is not okay that nearly everyone I have advocated for at WINZ, has broken down in tears during appointments and have often been close to a panic attack. Most people I advocate for at WINZ unanimously tell me it is a humiliating and utterly defeating experience.

Being poor, being unemployed, being on welfare, being down on your luck, or struggling with serious health issues like Emma… doesn’t make you less than; it doesn’t suddenly make you sub-human. The fact I even have to type those words as a reminder that, regardless, of what economic and social position you hold, you are still a human being, makes me incredibly sad.

***

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66 comments on “WINZ: where hope and dignity go to die ”

  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1

    Should “I was just following National Party orders” be a defence against charges of human rights violations?

    • Morrissey 1.1

      Sadly, the regime was as just as cruel and judgemental under the last Labour government.

      • Delia 1.1.1

        There has been a culture of coldness for some years, but Labour never applied the harsh sanctions that National has imposed, it also made it harder to speak to WINZ workers easily by forcing appointments weeks in advance..it is all about keeping the public at bay and on the phone. I can never understand why WINZ has never employed trained social workers to deal with disabled, distressed, confused clients, to much to ask eh? It shows us the official culture and I am not a particularly harsh critic of WINZ workers, it is the system that is tough.

        • weka 1.1.1.1

          +1

          When I first came into contact with the system it was the Ministry of Social Welfare. The shift to Work and Income NZ (1990s) was significant and a potent symbology of what was to come.

        • Bill 1.1.1.2

          The idea that a state should make some provisions available to ensure a level of welfare for everyone in society runs counter to ideologies that rest on notions of “opportunity” and “personal choice”.

          Both NZ Labour and National adhere to such an ideology.

          The best that can be hoped for, as long as that remains the case, is that an occasional dumpling will be provided with the gruel that’s unwillingly dished up to society’s “undeserving poor”.

          See. Bill English apparently doesn’t know what Jim Bolger meant when he said “neo-liberalism” had failed (I guess it’s just the natural order to Bill) and Jacinda Ardern echoing that refrain, reckons that “neo-liberalism” has nothing to do with economic settings, but that it ‘just happens’ to people.

          We’s kinda fucked while that mentality or degree of stupidity makes government level economic decisions that have consequences for people.

      • weka 1.1.2

        “Sadly, the regime was as just as cruel and judgemental under the last Labour government.”

        I don’t think so. Labour certainly did some shitty stuff and need to be held to account for that, but the Bennett reforms took things to a whole new level.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.3

        No, it wasn’t. It was less cruel and judgemental. They’d break your arms, but at least they wouldn’t stab you.

        • Richard@Downsouth 1.1.3.1

          I had cancer in 1997… took me til about 2003 to be fit for work… had a job for about 5 years which I had to leave because a new manager at the place bullied me and it got to the point where I couldnt sleep much, and hardly ate… I resigned, and moved towns back to Invercargill… I went and saw WINZ, and they asked why I left the job. I showed them a record of the stuff I’d been put through, and they put me on sickness benefit for 6 weeks with an option for more, if my GP thought it was needed, due to stress…

          I eventually found work for 30~ hours a week, and WINZ topped my pay up depending on my wages… I then found after a couple of years a full time job, and WINZ were helpful, and told me what I could claim to help start my job… this was about 5 years ago…

          I had heard some bad things, but generally about certain case managers, and that in general, I was fairly happy with how I was treated

          Roll on a year ago, and a friend was sick, and had to get forms from the doctor dropped into WINZ, so I offered… I got a 2 minute interrogation at the door by the security guard as ‘You’re not on the appointment list’… followed by a wait of a couple minutes in a queue inside, to be ‘greeted’ by a woman who it seemed just by me being there was ruining her day (she didn’t know me from Adam)… her tone changed when I explained I had just finished work, and was running an errand for a friend who was sick…

          Meantime, the way several staff had talked to people there had concerned me… it was pretty degrading

    • Wensleydale 1.2

      No. As a sentient human being, there should come a point when your conscience — that nagging little voice in the back of your skull that informs you when you’re being shitty to other people — has raised such a howling cacophony of outrage, that you’ve no choice but to pull the pin and say, “No. I will not do this thing anymore. Because it’s wrong.”

      I say ‘should’ because it’s frankly astounding that so many people are seemingly able to tune out that voice.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 1.2.1

        cf: the Lerner and other experiments: we’re all susceptible, uncomfortable as that thought is.

  2. AB 2

    The ideology is that the individual who needs help is somehow defective, and so needs strict monitoring and control. The effects are shameful.

    The same thinking underlies Bill’s shiny new the ideology of ‘social investment’. It gives the gloss of science to some very old Victorian prejudices – we will identify the defective individuals early on and give them ‘support’.
    It is intended to specifically suppress the thought that maybe the individual is not defective at all (or becomes so only in response to prolonged stress) and that it’s the economic system that needs attention.

  3. DoublePlusGood 3

    “I am just going to put-it out there and get all radical”

    The sad thing is that basic human decency is now radical in our society.

    • Wensleydale 3.1

      Yes, if you advocate for the humane treatment of other people, you’re a leftie, a loony, a communist, an agitator, a trouble-maker and part of the infamous ‘rent-a-mob’ National enjoy dismissively referring to whenever citizens band together to protest some new draconian outrage.

  4. eco maori 4

    You can see by the way national ran this organization that humane is not in the neo liberal’s dictionary’s

  5. Bill 6

    My reckons is that Chloe is writing some really good shit around this these days. Her (your, if you’re reading this thread) “Beyond the Election: on solidarity and building communities of compassion” being a case in point.

    That aside, I’m getting the impression that many, many people are now feeling able to cast aside the ‘cloak of shame’ this society has forced them to wear with regards being poor and seeking a degree of welfare via state mechanisms.

    • jcuknz 6.1

      If you think Labour will be any better you are dreaming as who brought in WFF to make so many of the population a beneficiary But of course they are not benes, just on WFF.

  6. Whispering Kate 7

    Everytime a beneficiary has a negative experience with WINZ and ends up in tears and has panic attacks it is just another layer of negative experience to them that compounds over time into post stress trauma. I know from personal experience with a family member that it sets back their recovery of whatever predicament they are in – illness, unemployment. They panic each benefit day their money won’t be there to support them. It just is a never ending horror story for them.

    To hear from Chloe that a person she was advocating for was contemplating ending it all isn’t unusual, in fact it is a daily event in this country and why wouldn’t these persecuted people not feel like finishing it all. We have experienced this in our family with suicide attempts, one which we didn’t think our loved one would recover from.

    If there is a Goddess looking after us, please let her kick this pack of heathens out of Government. There is a very good editorial in the Herald today about tribalism and how devotees of any one ideology will wear blinkers and refuse to accept anything negative about their favoured political party – I know this to be true with people I know who cannot accept or will listen to anything negative about this corrupt administration we have in right now.

    WINZ needs a new culture of empathy, please let it be soon.

    • Punk Is Bread 7.1

      +100!

    • Bob 7.2

      Hear hear Kate, well said.

    • tracey 7.3

      Really well said Kate

      The cynic in me says a dead beneficary is seen as a reduction in people on the benefit…

      Tolley says MSD does not keep stats on how many WINZ clients take their own lives. Makes me wonder why not.

      • Craig H 7.3.1

        The Ministry of Health have that information even if MSD don’t.

        • weka 7.3.1.1

          They probably don’t have records of who are WINZ clients though. I’m guessing they list occupation and lots of WINZ clients will have their occupation as their part time job, not beneficiary.

    • jcuknz 7.4

      I disagree Kate as we need to change National …they are already have come a fair way to the left pushing ‘the left’ to extremities.
      Some more pushing/encouragement and they could keep the country on an even keel while looking after those in need better.
      While a government of national unity with nats plus lab could be an solution .
      The country needs the experience and common sense of National with a levening of compassion.
      I will continue to support National as I have done since ACT proved its worthlessness until I see sense in the ‘left’ and not just feelings.
      Rage at the injustices perpetrated by case managers should not obscure the fact that the country needs to be economically successful to look after its people and the people need to show responsibility to justify that care.

      • Ed 7.4.1

        There is no alternative……we’ve heard that lie for 35 years.
        And you still believe it.
        Oh well……

        • jcuknz 7.4.1.1

          Of course there is an alternative but one must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
          I started thinking about this around 1963 when I came upon Bill Sutch’s writing … in those days as a renter I was mainly interested in housing but as I looked and saw our society develop I have ideas on numerous aspects of life … The Responsible Society.

          • Ed 7.4.1.1.1

            Ditch neoliberalism.
            There is no baby.
            Just fetid stagnant toxic bathwater that needs to be rid of after 33 years.

            • miravox 7.4.1.1.1.1

              +1

            • jcuknz 7.4.1.1.1.2

              I do not know what all this ‘neoliberalism’ means but I do believe that if Roger Douglas started it when he saved the country from the Muldoon disaster he did good but unfortunately a guy came along for a cuppa and the moderating social side was not implemented.
              Black or white or in this case blue or red is not an answer of any value but a meld of good economic policy which works with the world we have to deal with coupled with a more compassionate welfare system which is not valued by those running it on how much they save but how well people are treated.

  7. Kevin 8

    This happened a couple of months ago.

    The person involved, turned ups to her WINZ appointment on time and was waiting. Because WINZ actively discourage having your children there, she had paid someone to mind her two preschoolers.

    Whilst sitting in the waiting area she was able to see the case manager who she was supposed to see (open plan office). This person just carried on working and my friend was left waiting. She spoke to the receptionist and asked if she could phone the case manager to tell her her appointment was here.

    The receptionist phoned three times and the case manager never picked up the phone.
    After an hour my friend had to leave to pick up her children.

    Later that day she got one of the shitty threatening emails from WINZ pointing out the ramifications for missing appointments!

    Turns out the case manager had turned the ringer off on her phone. So more time wasted and more money for babysitter. And they wonder why they are hated so much… or do they?

  8. Trey 9

    On the Herald online this morning there was an article about a woman who committed suicide the day after she recieved a letter saying she was to be prosecuted over recieving benefit over payments amounting to $20,000. This was despite WINZ knowing that she suffered from depression and had been suicidal. Sorry cant link to it as it disappeared very quickly.
    Welcome to Nationals Brighter future that delivers for New Zealanders as long as your white and wealthy.

  9. Delia 10

    Lots of people on benefits consider Plan B, just remove themselves and not have to worry about the welfare system and their own survival.

    • tracey 10.1

      I wonder how many homeless are in this category? Got so sick of the hoop jumping and degradation they decided at least homeless they were in control of life decisions?

      • Macro 10.1.1

        A very large majority tracey.
        Also many just simply cannot manage the paperwork.
        Form filling can be a terrifying experience for many, and especially so for dyslexic.
        But added to that, is the continual rise of housing (and even basic shelter), and the fact that this is no longer given a heavy weighting in the calculation of the CPI. Given the fact that benefits were cast in 1991 at 80% of what would constitute, even then, a subsistence level of living, it is obvious that benefits nowadays, are completely inadequate for even a sub-standard level of living in this country.

  10. Siobhan 11

    It occurs to me that Labour managed to create a Radical Revolution for the benefit of the Economy back in ’84, so, given their regret and repeatedly declared separation from neo liberal ideology, how about Labour running on a platform of Revolution for the People??
    Why not have a clear policy where they state..this is what happens at WINZ under National, this is what we will do to dismantle that culture and policies within 6 months of gaining power.

    How hard could that be, whats stopping them spelling these things out?

    Maybe these are the issues that would attract the missing voters.

    • Sparky 11.1

      You have it in one. Also why no increased taxes for the super rich? I see that’s off the table and why not an emphatic “no” to the TPPA? To my mind they might call themselves Labour but they are a long way from the Labour party I remember as a kid.

    • tracey 11.2

      Because since 84 the brainwashing that if you just work harder you will make lotsa money has taken hold?

      • Ed 11.2.1

        Must be brainwashing because you only have to look to see it’s not true.

        • In Vino 11.2.1.1

          Tracey – I think that the true philosophy was: “If you just work harder at immoral profit-gouging, you will make lotsa money.”
          But for some strange reason, the full version got shortened.

  11. Sparky 12

    Yep the current government have in my opinion been helping to dig this country’s grave over the last nine years but it started way back in the 1980’s when this neo liberal shit first turned up on the scene. The burning question is will an alliance of Labour/Greens/NZF do better? I would hope so but that’s a case of wait and see (assuming it happens at all).

    Personally I do feel we need a total revamp of our political system and in particular an end to the Westmonster model which allows these pricks free reign to pretty much do as they like once elected.

  12. rhinocrates 13

    I used to have terrible panic attacks before and after and some staff are hopelessly inadequate human beings. On the other hand, I’ve dealt for some time now with a case manager who is a very nice, attentive, sympathetic and capable person. That comes down to their personal qualities, but they make it clear that they’re under pressure from above. The system forces inhumanity and callousness.

    Also, my current fairly positive experience is largely due to the fact that I’m permanently on Fluoxetine.

    • Barfly 13.1

      I take enough of that so that I’m only chronically depressed instead of clinically depressed I tried taking a higher dose but it gets hard to get much sleep when there are imaginary people banging on your door most of the time when you nod off .

  13. jaymam 14

    I have advocated at WINZ (or whatever stupid name they have from time to time) for a number of people. It is my impression that WINZ are even more incompetent and ridiculous under a National government.

    One of their clients was alleged to owe $25,000 and they were going to prosecute her. By going carefully through the rules I managed to get the amount reduced to a few thousand. She had been paid slightly over the $80/week limit while helping disabled children for years.

    Another client started work and had been overpaid a benefit by a small amount, about $50. He paid in cash and got a receipt. WINZ sent him a bill every month for many months. Phoning them did no good. They threatened his credit record. I sent a letter and a copy of the receipt to the chief WINZ accountant in Wellington, with a CC to my MP. The demands stopped. Truly WINZ is incompetent and out of control.

    And those damned appointments. I went to WINZ to tell them that I now had a boarder and could no longer claim the Living Alone Super allowance. They said I would have to make an appointment to tell them that. I refused, and handed them the form that I had filled out, which they accepted. As some of you may know, I am much more aggressive than most WINZ clients.

    We need an organisation with advocates like the Combined Beneficiaries Union which seems to have disappeared.

  14. cleangreen 15

    We should have a public prosecuter place a legal case against WINZ for delilection of duty to it’s public clients due to a lack of their duties under the “public servant Act” code.

    Here is the legal interpretation of the function of a public servant.

    Government consists of “public servants”; – these who are our ‘public servants’ should firstly be serving the needs and ‘interests’ including aspirations of their employees who are ‘the public’
    Public service’. 2 :a service rendered in the public interest

    So according to the legal requirements of these ‘public servants’ they are legally required to serve the public interests firstly and not their own needs right?

    Here is the proof;

    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20service

    Webster dictonary

    Definition of public service

    1 :the business of supplying a commodity (such as electricity or gas) or service (such as transportation) to any or all members of a community
    2 :a service rendered in the public interest
    3 :governmental employment; especially :civil service

  15. Whispering Kate 16

    I fear that Labour, if they get into power, with a coalition, will not radically change the culture of WINZ. There hasn’t been much policy concerning WINZ coming from them and the Greens, as far as I can ascertain, are the only party which will keep them honest.

    What will it take to make this department called WINZ become a caring and understanding department for people who are vulnerable – I am speaking of the disabled, mentally unwell, people who cannot work. Prior governments have abandoned them and left them to the mercies of rental landlords and living on the streets. Its no wonder the suicide rate is so high, its shameful.

    Families are left to shoulder the burden and its a burden they lovingly take up, inexperienced as they are, but what’s to happen when these parents finally are no longer there to care for their loved ones. We once had a society where one could rest in peace knowing their loved ones were cared for.

    IMO NZ has become a shitty place to live in.

    • greywarshark 16.1

      Not long after the Neo lib government started to get into the swing of how it was going to run down welfare, a woman with an adult son who was mentally incapable of coping on his own, decided to do the decisive thing and not leave him to the merciless grinding system that the government was adopting if she died and he was left with no-one to love and care for him. So she killed him and herself, deeming that it was better to end their joint lives together while they were still reasonably happy, rather than live on with her in fear of his not having suitable, sensitive care.

  16. Andrea 17

    “I fear that Labour, if they get into power, with a coalition, will not radically change the culture of WINZ”

    Is it still free to ‘write to your Congressman’ – Stonewall, MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington – no stamp needed?

    And keep nagging every last miserable constituency representative until their days are made uneasy.

    The whole social welfare set-up is a mess. The total disconnect from ‘market forces’ that keep bumping up the costs of living -even thriftily- until more is going out to Feed the Beast than is coming in to feed the present and future.

    The horror and shame of having to seek any scraping assistance beyond the threadbare basics; the ethos and culture that demands you be totally destitute, with few to no ways out of the pit – it has got to go. Preferably before the ‘world of work’ really starts to change.

    While we’re at it – recognise that the present round of ‘monopoly’ has nearly ended: most people have been forced out and the spectators are looking for a better game to play. Let’s make it happen – for as many as want to.

    • JustPassingThrough 17.1

      Yep, it’s a cultural problem. The attitude of the average WINZ worker is that it’s their money and anyone who walks through the door is out to steal it from them. Personally, I blame Christine Rankin and her “zero-tolerance” towards benefit fraud, for it.

      What’s needed is an independent oversight authority (even a new branch of the court system populated by district court judges) where people can go and make complaints against WINZ, free of charge, and have decisions by WINZ reviewed.

      • jcuknz 17.1.1

        Yes it is a cultural problem dating back to 1990 at least when I boarded a beneficiary and they told me of the ‘war’ between the department and those it ‘helped’.
        I was on the dole for a short time back then after one staff accepting my financial position and paying me the full amount somebody else sent me a letter cutting me back to $7pw. … “You are getting much too much” but without any details.

        • JustPassingThrough 17.1.1.1

          I despise WINZ with a passion.

          Back in the 90’s I got my benefit cut off at least four times due to “clerical” mistakes and each time it took at least a month before it was reinstated with full back payment. That means at a least a month with no income. Fortunately I had a very understanding landlord.

          And every WINZ worker I’ve known personally has had the attitude of “what a shitty job I’ve got I had a guy come in demanding $1000 for an engagement ring … whinge whinge moan moan.” Well whoop-de-do. Police have to put up with being sworn at and spat on and you don’t hear them bitching about it.

  17. Yeah fuck the cunts.

    I wrote a post on an article on The Daily Blog which , is similar in vein.

    I would invite you to read what Kim Isaac wrote as an article.

    GUEST BLOG: Kim Isaac – the reality for single mums & dads « The …
    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/…/guest-blog-kim-isaac-the-reality-for-single-mums-dads/

    I dont give a fuck what the circumstances are… quite frankly , … what I do give a fuck about is the way fellow New Zealanders and New Zealander-esses are being treated by the wimps at WINZ.

    Wimps at WINZ ,… whats that in acronyms? , … hang on ,… WAW. There you go. Sounds a lot like WAR. WAR on the fucking poor. Wimps at WINZ.

    Think of that next time you think of Nationals little toadies. WAW. WAR on the poor.

    Fuck em.

    And in light of the 63% in favor ( unscientific poll @ Stuff ) of the teachers strike posited at Rotorua today , – I’d say many of these WINZ fuckers need to do a bit of soul searching for the reasons they are even in that line of work. Waiting on the weekly cheque?, … marking time in a secure govt job?

    I like this little number from Kevin Bloody Wilson.

    I’m still not sure which side I agree with ,.. the Kid ?, … or Miss Brown.

    All I know is both of them show a pair. I think I side slightly more with the kid because he’s only 6 years old. And showed bushwackers ‘guts ‘ . Tellin’ it like it is. I like gutsy people who talk in plainspeak . Like Chloe King. Either way I reckon certain WINZ heads are shittin bricks that a Labour / Greens / NZ First govt is coming in.

    Heads are fucking going to roll if they do , – if not ?… heads are fucking going to be pulled the fuck in.

    This ones for you , ‘ Wayne ‘ . Enjoy the Trade Union references… scumbag.

    Search Results
    The Kid (He Swears a Little Bit) – YouTube
    Video for the kid he swears a little bit you tube▶ 5:53
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHX5XAQ3uZE

  18. Janet Crawford 19

    I feel sad, angry and ashamed of our government.

  19. SMILIN 20

    Winz arrogance policy
    Outa Sight Outa Mind
    Across the board from the cradle to the grave

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  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

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