Benefit applicants 'being held to ransom' | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua
Benefit applicants 'being held to ransom'
Carl Crafar.
By CHERIE TAYLOR in Rotorua
Rotorua's Work and Income has been accused of holding beneficiaries to ransom as it continues to drive unemployment levels in the region to an all time low.
The criticism comes from Rotorua beneficiary advocate Paul Blair who backs his ransom claim by saying the ministry is refusing to accept application forms from potential beneficiaries before they take part in a WRK4U seminar.
Mr Blair said Work and Income New Zealand was breaking the law by forcing people to attend WRK4U programmes and failing to take applications from people without jobs when it was approached for assistance.
However, Work and Income's Bay of Plenty commissioner Carl Crafar says he can't understand why the ministry is being criticised for placing people in jobs instead of just handing out taxpayer dollars to them.
The latest Household Labour Force Survey shows unemployment levels in Rotorua have once again dropped with 2030 people registered unemployed, compared with September 1998 when there were 3450 people in Rotorua registered as unemployed.
Mr Blair accused Work and Income of breaking the law.
"By not taking applications the department is in breach of both their own legislation and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act," he said.
"These laws are there to ensure that people can have their needs assessed and maintain a right to have a decision reconsidered.
"By sending them away without taking that application, the department is denying people a basic right of review and fair consideration."
However, people were not forced to attend WRK4U - a pre-employment programme, said Mr Crafar.
"WRK4U is a volunteer programme. We encourage people to attend so they know exactly what they are entitled to and they are aware of their obligations straight away," he said.
"This has to be a positive."
Mr Crafar said he felt it "extremely sad" his department was being chastised for finding people work.
"I think this is ironic ... I would like to think that the 2000 or so unemployed we deal with receive a high quality service but sometimes we do make mistakes."
People could not be work tested until they had received their first dole payment but their eligibility to a benefit had to be tested, said Mr Crafar.
"Most people are on a stand-down period for the first two weeks anyway so isn't it better to get them into work so they are getting some money in the meantime?
"We want to focus on people and their needs and help them get a job as soon as possible so they aren't stuck in the benefit system," he said.
"We want to do everything to give them the tools to find work."
Mr Crafar makes no apology for the declining unemployment rate in the region but remains concerned about the high unemployment rate in Rotorua.
"We will continue to work tirelessly to get people off benefits and into work. That has to be good for the individual and their families."
Seminar helped get me a job: painter
Rotorua's Work and Income has been accused of holding beneficiaries to ransom as it continues to drive unemployment levels in the region to an all time low.
The criticism comes from Rotorua beneficiary advocate Paul Blair who backs his ransom claim by saying the ministry is refusing to accept application forms from potential beneficiaries before they take part in a WRK4U seminar.
Mr Blair said Work and Income New Zealand was breaking the law by forcing people to attend WRK4U programmes and failing to take applications from people without jobs when it was approached for assistance.
However, Work and Income's Bay of Plenty commissioner Carl Crafar says he can't understand why the ministry is being criticised for placing people in jobs instead of just handing out taxpayer dollars to them.
The latest Household Labour Force Survey shows unemployment levels in Rotorua have once again dropped with 2030 people registered unemployed, compared with September 1998 when there were 3450 people in Rotorua registered as unemployed.
Mr Blair accused Work and Income of breaking the law.
"By not taking applications the department is in breach of both their own legislation and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act," he said.
"These laws are there to ensure that people can have their needs assessed and maintain a right to have a decision reconsidered.
"By sending them away without taking that application, the department is denying people a basic right of review and fair consideration."
However, people were not forced to attend WRK4U - a pre-employment programme, said Mr Crafar.
"WRK4U is a volunteer programme. We encourage people to attend so they know exactly what they are entitled to and they are aware of their obligations straight away," he said.
"This has to be a positive."
Mr Crafar said he felt it "extremely sad" his department was being chastised for finding people work.
"I think this is ironic ... I would like to think that the 2000 or so unemployed we deal with receive a high quality service but sometimes we do make mistakes."
People could not be work tested until they had received their first dole payment but their eligibility to a benefit had to be tested, said Mr Crafar.
"Most people are on a stand-down period for the first two weeks anyway so isn't it better to get them into work so they are getting some money in the meantime?
"We want to focus on people and their needs and help them get a job as soon as possible so they aren't stuck in the benefit system," he said.
"We want to do everything to give them the tools to find work."
Mr Crafar makes no apology for the declining unemployment rate in the region but remains concerned about the high unemployment rate in Rotorua.
"We will continue to work tirelessly to get people off benefits and into work. That has to be good for the individual and their families."
Seminar helped get me a job: painter
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