Pursuant to sections 124(1)(d) and 5 of the Social Security Act 1964, the Minister for Social Development and Employment establishes and approves the following welfare programme for special assistance.
Dated at Wellington this 3rd day of April 2011.
HON PAULA BENNETT, Minister of Social Services and Employment.
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P r o g r a m m e
1. Title-This programme is the Individual Support Payments Programme.
2. Commencement-This programme comes into effect on the day after the date on which it is established and approved.
3. Expiry-This programme expires on the close of
31 August 2011.
4. Purpose-The purpose of this programme is to
provide short-term special assistance to certain people who have lost employment or self-employment arising from the 22 February 2011 aftershock and who are receiving a specified benefit under the Act.
5. Interpretation-(1) In this programme, unless the context otherwise requires:
22 February aftershock means the aftershock of
the Canterbury earthquake that occurred at 12.51pm
on 22 February 2011
Act means the Social Security Act 1964
affected area means the district of the Christchurch City Council
applicant:
(a) means a person who has applied or on whose behalf an application has been made for assistance under this programme; and
(b) where the context requires, includes a person who has been granted assistance under this programme
business includes any profession, trade, or undertaking carried on for profit
Canterbury earthquake means the earthquake that occurred on 4 September 2010 in Canterbury, and includes all of its aftershocks
earthquake job loss cover means the special assistance under the Earthquake Job Loss Cover Programme established and approved on 1 March 2011 under section 124(1)(d) of the Act1
individual support payments means the special assistance under clause 8 of this programme
earthquake support subsidy means the employment assistance provided by the department on and after
1 March 2011 to subsidise the payment of wages or salary to staff of certain businesses adversely affected
by the 22 February aftershock
lost:
(a) in relation to employment:
(i) means termination of that employment because the employee’s position has or will become surplus to the employer’s needs; and
(ii) includes reduction of hours of employment; and
(b) in relation to self-employment:
(i) means cessation of self-employment;
and
(ii) includes reduction of hours of self-employment
qualifying employment means full-time employment or part-time work; and qualifying self-employment has a corresponding meaning
specified area means:
(a) the districts of the following territorial authorities:
(i) Ashburton District Council;
(ii) Christchurch City Council;
(iii) Hurunui District Council;
(iv) Kaikoura District Council;
(v) Mackenzie District Council;
(vi) Selwyn District Council;
(vii) Timaru District Council;
(viii) Waimakariri District Council;
(ix) Waimate District Council; and
(b) that part of the district of the Waitaki District Council as is within the area of the Canterbury Regional Council.
specified benefit means an unemployment benefit, a sickness benefit, a widow’s benefit, a domestic purposes benefit, an invalid’s benefit, an independent youth benefit, or an emergency benefit.
(2) Terms otherwise defined in section 3(1) of the Act have the same meanings in this programme.
6. Application of the Act-(1) Sections 12, 62, 63, 63A, 74, 74A, 76, 77, 81, 82 (except 82(6) to (6D)), 83, 84
and 86J apply to the following as if the special assistance under this programme were a benefit:
(a) This programme;
(b) an applicant; and
(c) an applicant’s spouse or partner (if any).
(2) Nothing in subclause (1) affects the application of any other provision of the Act.
7. Application requirements-Individual support payments must not be granted to an applicant unless the department has received:
(a) an application form (provided by the chief executive for the purpose) completed by or on behalf of the applicant and his or her spouse or partner (if any) to the chief executive’s satisfaction; and
(b) any supporting evidence reasonably required by the chief executive.
8. Individual support payments-(1) Subclause (2) applies to a person who:
(a) has lost qualifying employment in the affected area as a result of damage or loss of access to the business premises of, or loss of business or trade by, the person’s employer arising from the 22 February aftershock; or
(b) has lost employment or self-employment from a business that has been receiving the earthquake support subsidy; or
(c) is a self-employed person and has lost qualifying self-employment in the affected area because of damage or loss of access to business premises or loss of business or trade arising from the 22 February aftershock; or
(d) has been receiving earthquake job loss cover.
(2) Except as provided in subclause (3), an applicant to whom this subclause applies is entitled to receive individual support payments if the chief executive is satisfied that:
(a) the applicant has been granted and is receiving a specified benefit; and
(b) the applicant resides in the specified area; and
(c) the applicant’s application for individual support payments was received no later than the day that is six weeks after 18 April 2011.
(3) If an applicant who is married, in a civil union or in a
de facto relationship is granted individual support payments under subclause (2), his or her spouse or partner is not entitled to be granted individual support payments.
9. Rate of individual support payments-The amount of individual support payments is:
(a) for a single person without dependent children, $50.00 a week;
(b) for a sole parent, $80.00 a week plus $10.00 a week in respect of each dependent child of the person but not more than $110.00 a week; and
(c) for a person who is married, in a civil union or in a de facto relationship, $80.00 a week plus $10.00
a week in respect of each dependent child of the person but not more than $110.00 a week.
10. Commencement of payments-Individual support payments commence on the latest of the following dates:
(a) The date on which the applicant made an application for them;
(b) the date on which the specified benefit commences;
(c) 19 April 2011.
11. Ending of payments-Individual support payments continue for so long as the applicant continues to receive a specified benefit until the close of the day that is six weeks after the day on which they commenced.
Amendment to Direction in Relation to Special Benefit
12. Amendment to Direction in Relation to Special Benefit-Clause 13 amends the Direction in relation to Special Benefit given on 10 February 1999.2
13. Definitions-Paragraph (f)(i) of the definition of chargeable income in clause 2.1 is amended by omitting
"the Care Supplement Programme"
and substituting
"the Individual Support Payments Programme".
Explanatory Note
This note is not part of the programme, but is intended to indicate its general effect.
This welfare programme under the Social Security Act 1964 ("the Act") provides short-term special assistance to certain people who reside in Canterbury, have lost employment or self-employment arising from the 22 February aftershock
of the Canterbury earthquake, and are receiving a specified social security benefit. The assistance, called individual support payments, is additional to the amount of benefit
and provides $50.00 a week for a single person, and
$80.00 a week plus $10.00 for each dependent child up
to a maximum of $110.00 a week for a sole parent or a person who is married, in a civil union or in a de facto relationship. It must be applied for no later than six weeks after 18 April 2011 and is provided for a maximum of
six weeks from the date on which the payments commenced on or after 19 April 2011. Only one spouse or partner of a couple is eligible for the payments.
Clause 13 amends the Ministerial Direction in Relation
to Special Benefit under the Act so that individual support payments under the programme are not counted as chargeable income. It also omits an obsolete reference to
a revoked welfare programme.
Annotation of Notes
1New Zealand Gazette, 10 March 2011, No. 26, page 773
2New Zealand Gazette, 16 December 1999, No. 193, page 4599
Amended New Zealand Gazette, 24 February 2005, No. 41, page 1056