24 APRIL NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

used in the domestic supply to that person of telephone services, electricity, gas, or water;

(j) The costs of any tuition the applicant or his or her spouse is undertaking (including stationery, books, fees, or other course related costs);

(k) Any payments required to be made by the applicant or his or her spouse in respect of any debt, fine, or other liability, other than the payments or repayments referred to in paragraphs (a) to (h) of this definition;

(l) Any fees charged by a private savings bank, a trustee savings bank, the Public Service Investment Society Limited, a registered bank or a building society or a credit union for an account held by the applicant or the applicant’s spouse with that bank, building society, or credit union;

Cash Assets, in relation to any person, mean assets of that person and his or her spouse (if any) that can be readily converted into cash and include:

(a) Shares, stocks, debentures, bonus bonds, and other bonds;

(b) Bank accounts, including fixed and term deposits with any bank, friendly society, credit union, or building society;

(c) Money invested with or lent to any bank or other financial institution;

(d) The net equity held in any property or land not used as the person’s home;

(e) Building society shares;

(f) Mortgage investments and other long term loans;

(g) Bills of exchange or promissory notes;

(h) The applicant’s share in any partnership;

but do not include—

(i) The motor vehicle principally used by the applicant for his or her personal use;

(j) A caravan, boat, or other vehicle—

(i) The net equity in which is less than $2,000; or

(ii) Which is used by the person or a member of his or her family for day to day accommodation;

(k) The personal effects of the person and his or her spouse (if any);

Chargeable Income, in relation to an applicant, includes:

(a) The rate of any benefit granted under Part I of the Act disregarding any reduction in that rate under section 60H (4) and section 60JA of the Act; and

(b) Where the applicant is receiving unsupported child’s benefit or orphan’s benefit in respect of any child, the difference between—

(i) The amount of that benefit; and

(ii) The maximum amount of family support that would be payable under the Income Tax Act 1976 in respect of a child of that age as if that child was the applicant’s dependent child; and

(c) Any war pension or allowance received under the War Pensions Act 1954; and

(d) New Zealand Superannuation, Veteran’s Pension, or transitional retirement benefit received under the Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions) Act 1990; and

(e) Income, as defined in section 3 of the Act; and

(f) The amount of any regular payments received under any welfare programme approved under section 124 (1) (d) of the Act (other than regular payments intended to pay or reimburse specified costs of the applicant); and

(g) The amount of any child support payments—

(i) In the case of a Non-beneficiary, received by the person under the Child Support Act 1991; or

(ii) In the case of a beneficiary, paid to the person by the Child Support Agency pursuant to section 142 of that Act; and

(h) The living costs component of the amount of any student allowance or student loan received by the applicant,

and includes the Chargeable Income, as so defined, of his or her spouse (if any):

Deficiency has the meaning in clause 2 of Part I;

Disposable Income, in relation to an applicant, means the applicant’s weekly Chargeable Income after the deduction of the applicant’s Allowable Costs;

Income in clause 5 (c) of Part I, means Income as defined in section 3 of the Act;

Non-beneficiary means a person who is not a beneficiary;

Standard Costs, in relation to an applicant, means the appropriate amount set out in the Schedule, being the proportion of the living costs of the applicant and his or her dependents that he or she may be expected to meet—

(a) From his or her benefit; or

(b) In the case of a Non-beneficiary, from the appropriate rate of an unemployment benefit that would be payable to the applicant if he or she was entitled to that benefit,

but do not include any of the applicant’s Allowable Costs;

and expressions otherwise defined in the Act shall have the meanings so defined unless the context otherwise requires.

Part 4

Revocation and Savings

1. This Direction supersedes the Direction concerning special benefit dated 28 March 1995, which is revoked.

2. The revocation of that Direction does not affect the validity of, or the continuation of, any special benefit granted pursuant to it, but if that benefit is reviewed under the provisions of section 81 of the Act, you must conduct the review under this Direction.

Dated this 14th day of April 1997.

ROGER M. SOWRY, Minister of Social Welfare.

Schedule

Standard Costs