Pursuant to section 124(1)(d) of the Social Security Act 1964, the Minister for Social Development and Employment, by this instrument, makes the following amendments to
the Special Needs Grants Programme (as established and approved on 18 December 1998*).
Dated at Wellington this 28th day of February 2009.
PAULA BENNETT, Minister for Social Development and Employment.
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A m e n d m e n t
1. Title—This instrument is the Special Needs Grants Amendment 2009.
2. Commencement—This instrument comes into effect on 2 March 2009.
3. Programme amended—This instrument amends the Special Needs Grants Programme*.
4. Applicants applying for a residence permit in
New Zealand who have lost the financial support of their sponsors—(1) Clause 15B.1(b) is amended by omitting
“either”.
(2) Clause 15B.1(d) is amended by inserting
“or by any other person who resides with and is in a domestic relationship with the applicant”
after
“by the partner”.
(3) Clause 15B.1 is amended by revoking paragraph (e).
(4) Clause 15B.6 is amended by inserting the following definition in its appropriate alphabetical order:
“domestic relationship has the same meaning as in section 4 of the Domestic Violence Act 1995”.
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Explanatory Note
This note is not part of the instrument, but is intended to indicate its general effect.
This instrument, which comes into effect on 2 March 2009, amends clause 15B of the Special Needs Grants Programme to expand the situations in which grants can be made to victims of domestic violence. Clause 4(2) of the instrument allows grants to be paid where an applicant suffers domestic violence from a person, other than their partner, with whom they reside and have a domestic relationship (eg in-laws). Clause 4(4) inserts a definition of domestic relationship.
Clause 4(3) removes the requirement that a member of the New Zealand Police provide a written statement that domestic violence has occurred before a grant can be made under clause 15B. In practice, a person must satisfy strict evidentiary requirements that show that domestic violence has occurred before the New Zealand Immigration Service will grant a special work permit for victims of domestic violence. The corroborative evidence provided by the Immigration Service that this permit has been granted on the ground that the person is a victim of domestic violence will be sufficient to satisfy the criteria in clause 15B.
*New Zealand Gazette, 28 January 1999, No. 8, page 202