Ministry Of Social Development
Calls for MSD debts to be wiped
Andrew Hubbard from Citizens Advice Bureau joins Kathryn to share a new report which calls for the government to wipe the debts that clients owe to the Ministry of Social Development. Audio
Disabled people in relationships paying for the price of love
People with disabilities in relationships are paying for the price of love - losing their allowances because they're coupled up.
MSD assumes people in relationships share their finances, but for… Audio
Linda Clark and Michael Barnett on the impact of Covid-19 in NZ
Assuming it ends on schedule, New Zealand moved past the halfway point of the alert level 4 lockdown this week. Panellists Linda Clark and Michael Barnett join the show to discuss this impact the… Audio
Linda Clark & Michael Barnett on NZ's Covid-19 response
Panellists Linda Clark and Michael Barnett are back again to offer their thoughts on New Zealand's response to the threat of Covid-19 and how the country is managing 10 days into the lockdown period.
…Linda Clark and Michael Barnett on NZ's Covid-19 response
Today marks day four of New Zealand's nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. We're joined by commentators Linda Clark and Michael Barnett to see how they feel New Zealand is handling the situation. Audio
Beneficiary says MSD investigation drove her to attempt suicide
A beneficiary says the stress of a long MSD fraud investigation drove her to attempt suicide and has ruined her life, even though she was cleared in an independent review of her case. She spoke with… Audio
Commissioner blasts MSD for breaching beneficiaries’ privacy
The government has ordered an urgent review into the Ministry of Social Development's power to collect any information about someone it's investigating for benefit fraud. Audio
AAAP calls for MSD's CEO, deputy CEO to resign
Ricardo Menendez March from Auckland Action Against Poverty has called on MSD's CEO and deputy CEO to resign over the way it investigated beneficiaries, including snooping through their social media… Video, Audio
MSD defends fraud investigations, saying it never broke the law
While Ministry of Social Development has accepted the Privacy Commissioner's recommendations, it has also defended its investigations into benefit fraud, saying it had to go to third parties as most… Audio
Beneficiary investigated by MSD: 'It's all too much to handle'
Ministry of Social Development has been collecting large amounts of highly sensitive information about beneficiaries from telcos, banks and police records - without the person at the centre of the… Audio
Some MSD energy payments unlawful, inquiry finds
The Ministry of Social Development made unlawful winter energy payments to some people last year.
Landmark ruling against 'discriminatory' Social Security law
A woman has won a decade-long fight to show that laws which cut her ACC payout from $40,000 to just $500 were discriminatory.
Government benefits still not enough a poverty action group says
The Child Poverty Action Group wants the government to increase benefits by 20 percent immediately.
Tenants evicted over meth test still paying debt
People are still paying Ministry of Social Development for the debt they incurred for emergency accommodation after they were kicked out of their Housing New Zealand homes over dodgy methamphetamine… Audio
Beneficiaries recruited for aged care jobs, but more workers needed
Aged care providers want urgent changes to immigration rules to plug what they describe as gaping holes in their caregiver and nursing workforces. Audio
MSD reviews how it investigates benefit fraud
The review follows concerns by the Privacy Commissioner and beneficiary advocates that some of the investigations could breach people's privacy.
MSD needlessly probing beneficiaries' personal lives - lawyer
Half the beneficiaries investigated for fraud by the Ministry of Social Development have to answer questions about their relationship status. Audio
Govt writes off pensioner debt 3x more than beneficiary debt
Newly-released Official Information Act figures show the government writes off three times as much pensioner debt as it does debts accrued by beneficiaries when they're mistakenly overpaid. But MSD… Audio
Debts cancelled more often for pensioners than beneficiaries
The government wipes the debts of superannuitants who have been accidentally overpaid three times as often as debts accrued by beneficiaries, figures reveal.
MPI, MSD botch Thompson and Clark OIA
Both MPI and MSD told Checkpoint earlier this year their staff had no correspondence with security firm Thompson and Clark, but have since admitted that was wrong - their staff did have dealings with… Audio