Mana Party leader Hone Harawira says Work and Income's no-dole zones in the north are making life harder for Māori stuck in the cities.
He says in remote parts of the north like Panguru in Hokianga, people cannot apply for the unemployment benefit.
Mr Harawira says that made some sense when there were jobs to be had in Whangārei or Auckland, but in the current recession there are not.
He says in the downturn of the 1990s many Māori families left the cities and went home to rural areas, where it was easier to live on a benefit.
That influx of people revitalised small communities, schools and marae, he says, but the no-dole zones imposed later by Labour are now splitting families.
Mr Harawira says women and children want to stay in the north where they have whānau support, while their menfolk have to go back to Auckland and look for non-existent work in order to draw the dole.
In response, Work and Income says it's not forcing people out of no-dole zones in the Far North but its policies do put restrictions on beneficiaries moving into them.
WINZ says it has a number of 'limited employment locations' in Northland. The policies don't affect those living there but if someone already on the dole wants to move into such an area they must be able to meet certain conditions, to keep their benefit.
Those conditions include having access to reliable transport and being willing and able to commute to a nearby town where there are jobs available.
