✨ Ministerial Direction on Benefit Redirection
NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 32 — 26 MARCH 2015
-
Commencement—This direction comes into force on the day after the date on which it is given.
-
Interpretation—(1) In this direction, unless the context otherwise requires:
Act means the Social Security Act 1964
dependant, in relation to a person, means:
a. a dependent child of the person; and
b. any other person who is wholly or primarily dependent on the person for financial support and who ordinarily resides with the person; and
c. any other person who is under the care of the person as a consequence of that other person’s inability to live independently for reasons of disability, illness, or advanced age
essential services, in relation to a person, means the supply of any of the following to the person for domestic use:
a. electricity:
b. gas:
c. water
redirect, in relation to a benefit, means to direct that payment of the whole or any part of an instalment of benefit, or any number of instalments of a benefit, be to a person other than the beneficiary personally; and redirection has a corresponding meaning
social housing, agency, and social housing provider have the same meanings as in section 2(1) of the Housing Restructuring and Tenancy Matters Act 1992
telecommunication services, in relation to a person, means any of the following supplied to the person for domestic use:
a. fixed-line telephone services:
b. mobile telephone services:
c. internet services
vulnerable tenant means:
a. a tenant or prospective tenant of any premises (not being social housing) who the chief executive considers at risk of eviction or homelessness; and
b. a person who has been assessed by the agency as eligible for social housing but has not yet been allocated social housing by a social housing provider; and
c. a person in social housing who has been assessed by the agency as continuing to be eligible for social housing and is awaiting allocation of other social housing.
(2) Terms otherwise defined in sections 3(1), 61E, and 136 of the Act have the same meanings in this direction.
- Application—This direction:
a. applies when you are considering whether to exercise your discretion under the proviso to section 82(3) of the Act to redirect a person’s benefit; but
b. for the avoidance of doubt, does not apply to a requirement to deduct and pay money from a person’s benefit under any deduction notice or attachment order under any enactment.
- Good cause and exercise of discretion—(1) For the purposes of the proviso to section 82(3) of the Act, you may, without limitation, consider there is good cause to redirect a person’s benefit, and may exercise your discretion to redirect the person’s benefit, if you are satisfied that the person is in any of the following situations:
a. the person is a tenant of any social housing and the redirection is required to ensure the person meets his or her rental commitments:
b. the person is a resident assessed as requiring care or a person receiving residential care services who is required to contribute, from the person’s benefit, to:
Next Page →
NZ Gazette 2015, No 32
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
🏥
Ministerial Direction on Redirection of Benefit Payments
(continued from previous page)
🏥 Health & Social WelfareBenefit Payments, Social Security Act 1964, Ministerial Direction, Redirection, Vulnerable Tenants