Demand increasing for our services
24 October 2019.
Demand for our services has increased over the past year and we are providing direct financial support to one in four New Zealanders. Our latest Annual Report shows that as at 30 June 2019 we were providing support to 1.25 million people – including working-age people, whānau, families, students and seniors.
In 2018/19 we spent more than $26 billion providing support to New Zealanders through benefits, superannuation, housing assistance and student allowances.
We are focused on providing support to those who need it and working proactively to intervene early to ensure everyone can participate meaningfully in society.
In the past year we introduced a new strategic direction – Te Pae Tawhiti – which signals the shifts we need to make to achieve better outcomes for all New Zealanders.
Alongside these shifts we have identified priority areas that we need to focus on – the Government’s welfare overhaul, employment, service experience, partnership and helping people have a place to call home.
The Government is committed to overhauling the welfare system and we have been working on implementing the changes announced in Budget 2019. We are also supporting the Minister for Social Development to develop a long-term programme for the overhaul.
You can find out more about us and what we’ve been working on in our 2018/19 Annual Report.
