Pursuant to section 124 (1) (d) of the Social Security Act 1964, the Minister of Social Services and Employment establishes and approves the following amendment to the Special Needs Grants Programme (as established and approved on 18 December 1998).
STEVE MAHAREY, Minister of Social Services and Employment.
Dated at Wellington this 29th day of August 2002.
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A m e n d m e n t
1. Title-(1) This amendment is the Special Needs Grants Amendment (No. 3) 2002.
(2) In this amendment, the Special Needs Grants Programme is called "the programme".
2. Commencement-This amendment comes into effect on the day after it is approved.
3. Objectives of the programme-Clause 2 (a) of the programme is amended by adding the following subparagraph:
"(iv) to people in Waihi as set out in Part 6A;"
4. Income limits-Clause 7 of the programme is amended by adding the following subclause:
"7.3 Nothing in clause 7.1 applies to grants under Part 6A."
5. Cash asset limits-Clause 8 of the programme is amended by adding the following subclause:
"8.4 Nothing in clause 8.1 applies to grants under Part 6A."
6. Restriction on payments-Clause 9 of the programme is amended by inserting, after subclause 9.4, the following subclause:
"9.4A Nothing in clauses 9.1 to 9.4 applies to grants under Part 6A."
7. New Part 6A inserted-The programme is amended by inserting, immediately before Part VII, the following headings
and clauses:
"Part 6A
Special assistance to affected residents of Waihi
18A.1 Purpose
The purpose of this Part is to assist affected people in Waihi to move from their homes because of identified high or medium risk that the homes are at risk of land subsidence.
18A.2 Interpretation
In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires,-
"home", in relation to a person, means a unit of residential accommodation, including a caravan, in which that person normally or habitually lives, whether or not the person has any estate or interest in the land on which that unit is located.
"report" means the report of the Waihi Underground Mine Workings Technical Working Party to the Hauraki District Council dated 22 August 2002 on the subject of Risk Assessment Report on Ground Collapse Events above abandoned mine workings in the Town of Waihi, Hauraki District.
18A.3 Grants for relocation assistance
(1) Subclause (2) applies to an applicant-
(a) whose home is located in the Town of Waihi in any of the areas identified in the report as high or medium hazard zones within the Royal and Empire Lode areas; and
(b) who has decided, or in respect of whom a decision has been made, or who is required by law, to move from that home to accommodation located elsewhere, in reliance on the advice in the report.
(2) The chief executive may make one or more grants to an applicant to whom this subclause applies for any of the
following purposes:
(a) The cost of temporary accommodation immediately after the applicant moves from the home:
(b) The cost of moving and storing on a temporary basis, the household effects and personal possessions of the applicant:
(c) The reasonable costs (including any bond, rent in advance, and connection fees and deposits required for services such as electricity, gas, telephone, and water supply) incurred by the applicant of moving into permanent rental or other accommodation:
(d) Counselling services.
(3) The amount of any grant under subclause (2) is at the discretion of the chief executive, but the maximum amount of grants that may be made to an applicant under that subclause is $1,500.00, unless the chief executive considers that exceptional circumstances exist.
(4) If an applicant receives a grant of special assistance under any other provision of this programme, or under any other welfare programme approved under section 124 (1) (d) of the Act, the maximum amount in subclause (3) must be reduced by the amount of that special assistance if-
(a) that grant was made for any of the purposes for which grants may be made under subclause (2); and
(b) the chief executive is satisfied that the event that gave rise to that grant was the event referred to in subclause (1) (b).
(5) A grant under subclause (2) is non-recoverable."
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Explanatory note
This note is not part of the amendment, but is intended to indicate its general effect.
This amendment allows non-recoverable special needs grants for relocation assistance to be made to residents of Waihi who move from homes that have been identified as being at high or medium risk of land subsidence.