Changes to benefit categories from 15 July 2013
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On 15 July 2013, the Welfare Reform changes came into place. New Zealand’s welfare system has changed to one that better recognises and supports people’s work potential. It focuses on what people can do to achieve a better future for themselves and their families.
Three new benefits replaced most of the previous benefits:
- Jobseeker Support - for people who can usually look or prepare for work. It also includes people who can only work part-time or can’t look for work at the moment, for example because they have a health condition, injury or disability.
- Sole Parent Support - for sole parents with dependent children under 14 who can look or prepare for part-time work.
- Supported Living Payment - for people who have or care for someone with a health condition, injury or disability that severely limits their ability to work on a long-term basis.
Benefits that remain include: Emergency Benefit, Emergency Maintenance Allowance, Youth Payment, and Youth Parent Payment.
What does this mean for the quarterly benefit fact sheets?
June 2013 quarter
The June fact sheets were the final quarter release using the previous benefit categories, and continue the same series that was published over the previous 10 years.
September 2013 quarter
The September quarter fact sheets were the first to show the new benefit categories. The fact sheets were redesigned; and as well as the new benefit categories, these fact sheets include some new content.
The new fact sheets continue to provide a 5 year time series of quarterly benefit data, and present information at the national, territorial authority, regional council and service centre levels.
How do the old benefit categories compare with the new categories?
The majority of the old categories have been regrouped into three core benefit categories. A few existing categories remain. Below is a table that maps the existing benefit categories onto the new ones. The tables uses estimated benefit data for June.
High level numbers for new benefit groupings – using June 2013 data.
| Benefit | June 2012 | March 2013 | June 2013 | Quarterly change | Annual change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobseeker Support (JS) - Total | 134,580 | 128,784 | 128,608 | -176 | -0.1% | -5,972 | -4.4% |
| UB/UBH | 49,622 | 48,756 | 48,438 | -318 | -0.7% | -1,184 | -2.4% |
| UBT related | 6,265 | 4,960 | 4,922 | -38 | -0.8% | -1,343 | -21.4% |
| SB related | 59,413 | 58,208 | 59,127 | 919 | 1.6% | -286 | -0.5% |
| DPB-SP/WA/WB* | 19,280 | 16,860 | 16,121 | -739 | -4.4% | -3,159 | -16.4% |
| Sole Parent Support (SPS)**- Total | 88,554 | 84,462 | 82,897 | -1,565 | -1.9% | -5,657 | -6.4% |
| DPB-SP | 87,695 | 83,645 | 82,119 | -1,526 | -1.8% | -5,576 | -6.4% |
| WB | 859 | 817 | 778 | -39 | -4.8% | -81 | -9.4% |
| Supported Living Payment (SLP) - Total | 91,309 | 91,367 | 91,862 | 495 | 0.5% | 553 | 0.6% |
| IB | 83,652 | 83,409 | 83,778 | 369 | 0.4% | 126 | 0.2% |
| DPB-CSI | 7,657 | 7,958 | 8,084 | 126 | 1.6% | 427 | 5.6% |
| Youth Payment/Young Parent Payment (YP/YPP)*** - Total | - | 1,034 | 1,180 | 146 | 14.1% | - | - |
| YP | - | 108 | 198 | 90 | 83.3% | - | - |
| YPP | - | 926 | 982 | 56 | 6.0% | - | - |
| Other main benefits (incl EMA, UHS, EB) | 5,598 | 4,499 | 5,235 | 736 | 16.4% | -363 | -6.5% |
| All main benefits | 320,041 | 310,146 | 309,782 | -364 | -0.1% | -10,259 | -3.2% |
* Includes DPB-Sole Parent if youngest child is 14 or over, DPB-Woman Alone, and Widows Benefit (WB) for those without children or with children 14 or over.
** Includes DPB-Sole Parent and WB clients whose youngest child is under 14 years.
*** YP/YPP was implemented on 20 August 2012.
Abbreviations
UB/UBH = Unemployment Benefit and Unemployment Benefit Hardship
UBT related = Unemployment Benefit Training and Unemployment Benefit Hardship Training
SB related = Sickness Benefit and Sickness Benefit Hardship
DPB-SP/WA/WB = Domestic Purposes Benefit ((SP) Sole Parent, (WA) Women Alone), (WB) Widow’s Benefit
IB = Invalid’s Benefit
DPB-CSI = Domestic Purposes Benefit (Care of Sick or Infirm)
EMA = Emergency Maintenance Allowance
UHS = Unemployment Benefit Student Hardship
EB = Emergency Benefit
