Releases

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has announced extra support for the clean-up in Kaikoura and surrounding areas following the recent earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. The Minister has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG), a temporary employment programme which helps councils to employ local jobseekers to support the clean-up operation. Initial funding of $500,000 will be available to cover the wages of workers and supervisors, help hire or purchase personal safety or light equipment and hire transport for work crews.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley and Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse today announced an increase in the number of seasonal workers who can come to New Zealand to work in the horticulture and viticulture industry under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. The current cap will be increased by 1,000 from 9,500 to 10,500 RSE workers for the 2016-17 season. Mr Woodhouse says the horticulture and viticulture industry is New Zealand’s fourth largest export industry, producing almost $5 billion in exports.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says that current Work and Income clients who were underpaid due to a coding error in Accommodation Supplement payments will start to receive reimbursements this week. The incorrect payments, which date back to 1993, have resulted in 49,000 current and former clients being eligible for payments. 22,000 current clients will receive a total of $14 million in reimbursements, with all of the payments expected to be made by the end of the year, accompanied by a letter of apology from the Ministry.

Eligibility for housing assistance and student allowances could be established more accurately under information sharing proposals released for public consultation today by Social Development Minister Anne Tolley and Revenue Minister Michael Woodhouse. Information sharing already exists between IRD and MSD, but the Government is proposing to group the various current information sharing agreements into one. The proposals also extend the use of information to enable MSD to:

The Government has announced a wage subsidy package as an initial step to help small businesses in and around Kaikoura. The package will assist those companies most seriously disrupted by this week's earthquakes to retain their staff while the district recovers. Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley say that the complete closure of State Highway One to the north and south of Kaikoura has stranded the business sectors of Kaikoura and other small towns in the area.