You might laugh about being on a taxpayer's holiday, but being on the benefit is mostly pretty shit.
Photo: Lucy Smith
“It’s a taxpayer's holiday because it has to be. It’s not fun, but you can enjoy it,” says Jack*, a 20-year-old living in Wellington. He’s sitting on his bed laundry all over the floor, half-shaven and tired after working all night.
Jack was on an unemployment benefit for a few months before he was offered a job as a shoe shop assistant. He was fresh out of high school. He says his parents were well-off enough to support him, but he chose to go on the benefit anyway.
“Anyone can lose their job and anyone can go on the benefit. It’s kind of nice to not do much for a bit though you know? I’m going to pay taxes for the rest of my life.”
Beneficiary bashing is almost a sport in New Zealand. We’re quick to judge those who are technically receiving what they’re entitled to. Jack and most of the other people on the dole spoken to for this story didn’t want to be named out of fear of being publicly vilified or losing their benefit. Although some people do take advantage of Work and Income, others are at their wits end, scraping by each week to survive.
You can’t live comfortably, but you know at the end of the week you might have $20.
Depending on your situation, on a Work and Income benefit you can get at the least $156 a week before tax and at most you could get $372, but you might get more or less depending on your situation whether you’re single, in a relationship, married, have children, sickness, injury or are disabled.
Compare that with earning $792 a week if you’re working 40 hours on the living wage of $19.80 per hour, or $610 if you’re on minimum wage.
The Jobseeker benefit is for those who are unemployed and seeking - you guessed it - employment. Nearly 120,000 people are on it, according to the most recent figures from the Ministry of Social Development, and 23,000 of them are aged 18-24.
New Zealand's overall unemployment rate is 5.2 percent. But for 20-24 year-olds, it's close to double that at 9 percent, down from a high of 20 per cent following the Global Financial Crisis.
A report to Youth Parliament [pdf] this year pointed out that adverse economic conditions impact disproportionately on young people; the types of employment young people enter are often less secure; and young people with a health condition or disability may experience challenges entering employment.
With a benefit of $250 per week, Jack was still able to enjoy the luxury of a social life including pints on Friday night. “You can’t live comfortably, but you know at the end of the week you might have $20. You can’t get much with that but you can buy a goon sack.”
Jack says even if people think his take on going on the benefit offensive, he legally fitted the criteria to get the Jobseeker benefit. He says if he was a bit older he might have swallowed more of his pride to get money from Work and Income.
“I was straight out of school. I was looking for a job, but not hard enough. They [Work and Income] should be kicking people up the ass. As a young person who had just finished school there’s no reason I shouldn’t have been getting a call every week asking me if I had a job yet.”
Photo: Lucy Smith
To get a benefit you can apply online after answering a whole bunch of questions about yourself. Then Work and Income will figure out what you’re entitled to and ask you to book a meeting at your local Work and Income office.
Jack said the environment of the Work and Income office he used to have to go to was sterile and the presence of security guards was nerve-racking.
“It was intimidating. The room was big and open and it wasn’t very private; even though there are lots of people around you, you feel secluded and isolated. I walked by Work and Income a few times before going in there were two big security guards standing at the door. The people who were going into WINZ looked like they needed serious help.”
Work and Income provides support for those with mental health, disabilities or injuries. This means that people can get money to aid them with ongoing health issues. Sometimes it’s easier said than done.
With young people being on the benefit, it’s almost a rite of passage. When you actually need it it’s a big stress.
Quentin* is 19 and has epilepsy. The condition places limitations and restrictions on what he is able to do, especially when it comes to working. He gets a disability benefit, accommodation support and the Jobseeker.
Staring at the wall in front of him, a block of cheese is on the floor, and his roommate is blaring insults at a computer screen, Quentin explains how a diagnosis four years ago has changed his life.
“Epilepsy affected my grades in high school, which has made it harder. But it’s not getting a job that’s the problem, it’s keeping the job. I have problems with sleep, confidence on the job and reliability due to my epilepsy. It’s not just my seizures that stop me it’s the meds too.”
“In my age group, [it’s seen as] the classic ‘it’s a Taxpayer's Holiday’. With young people being on the benefit, it’s almost a rite of passage. When you actually need it it’s a big stress.”
“I’m just lucky I have parents that help me fill out the forms. I don’t know how some people do it when they’re just out on their own,” Quentin says.
Work and Income often hold meetings where people get together to discuss their resumes and how finding a job is going for them. On their website they’re described as: “Training, seminars or work experience to build up confidence and skills.”
Quentin says at times he saw people treated like they didn’t know how to get a job. At one careers seminar, he says he saw a 40 year old being asked if they’d rather be a sportstar or a fashionista.
“A lot of people on the dole know what they want to be doing, they just don’t have the means to get there. The dole isn’t leading people to that, you’re just a waste of space to them.
“The system? It’s a joke.”
***
Work and Income supports society's most vulnerable members, giving them a hand and guiding them to employment. But when you’re looking after two children at the age of 20 by yourself sometimes the system feels like it’s working against you - rather than for you.
Hine* is a mother of two on the benefit and feels that she was treated as “just another statistic”.
“When I was in a relationship with my child’s dad they were completely amazing. They were helpful and made sure I was getting everything I was entitled to. But when he broke up with me and I went on the sole parent benefit they turned downright nasty,” she says.
Hine says she was ridiculed by staff as to why she had the child in the first place if she could not support herself. The baby was conceived when she was engaged to her former partner and had she had no clue her relationship would end.
“They were telling me you can’t get this, this and this and I was saying no, I know I can I’m entitled to it. I had six to seven week wait until they actually paid me for anything, I was so behind in rent they refused to back pay me so I had to come up with the extra money myself. My landlord was so understanding about it.”
Social Development Ministry national commissioner Penny Rounthwaite said in a statement that Work and Income understands that people coming to the service are in vulnerable situations and often come to us as a last resort.
It can be hard, and it can be an emotional time and Work and Income is committed to treating everyone fairly, and with respect, she says.
“So we can really understand the full picture for each individual or family and provide the full range of help we can, we do need to ask questions. In doing this, we are sensitive to the challenging situations some of our clients are in.”
Matt Preston has been on a benefit for three months and received just over $200 a week. He managed to find work in a cafe through Work and Income and says his experience with them has been “pretty good”. “If you treat the workers like shit they’ll treat you like shit,” he says.
Matt Preston Photo: Lucy Smith
He made the decision to go on the benefit because he sees it as a safety net.
“I’ve paid tax in New Zealand and my whole family have. I think I am entitled to it. People think you’re a bit of a loser but it’s not like that. People need it to get through their shit in life if it’s only temporary and if you pay it back with your tax then I think it’s pretty fair.”
Getting a job can be a never-ending tower of paperwork, rejection letters, and repeating the same three adjectives to describe your work ethic. But for John* it’s not getting a job that’s a problem it’s finding a job which is suitable for his mental health.
He’s a 20-year-old in Christchurch was put on the Jobseeker benefit years ago after being admitted to Hillmorton Mental Hospital. He’s on home detention living in a block of flats owned by Housing New Zealand.
“It’s difficult for sure, I’m in the same boat as a lot of other 20-year-olds. I just wish there was a tree out there that could grow money. I grew up with pretty well off parents and now I live the life of a beneficiary.”
Photo: Lucy Smith
John says he was diagnosed with borderline multiple personality disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder and struggles with cannabis dependence.
“Where I live everyone’s mentally unwell and sure you can work with a mental illness. But if you saw these people you’d understand, they’re no-hopers. With me, it comes down to laziness and I just have no stability.”
When people ask what you do and you tell them you do see disappointment in their eyes.
The stigma of being on the dole is what gets John down the most.He says some nights he goes to bed hungry because he can’t afford food.“I’ve slept all day to save money and dinner was mince in the microwave and mayonnaise.”
“When people ask what you do and you tell them you do see disappointment in their eyes. I guess I understand where a lot of hard working people are coming from with their judgment. That stigma will always be there.”
“Do everything you can before you go on the benefit. You know I’ve never in my life thought ‘Oh this is fun free money I get to do nothing’. It sucks.”
RESPONSE FROM WORK AND INCOME
The Wireless invited Work and Income to respond to claims made by the people spoken to for this story. This is the full statement from Ministry of Social Development national commissioner Penny Rounthwaite:
Every day our staff come to work to help New Zealanders help themselves to be safe, strong and independent.
We understand that people coming to us are in vulnerable situations and often come to us as a last resort. It can be hard, and it can be an emotional time.
We are committed to treating everyone fairly, and with respect.
People will come to us with all sorts of circumstances that contribute to their need.
So we can really understand the full picture for each individual or family and provide the full range of help we can, we do need to ask questions. In doing this, we are sensitive to the challenging situations some of our clients are in.
We also need to ask for identification and sometimes evidence of costs like rent to ensure we meet our obligations to administer the welfare system consistently and responsibly.
Work and Income isn’t just about people getting benefits. We provide a broad range of services from assessing people’s need for social housing to paying emergency food grants, as well as the work we do to help people into employment.
In every case, the more we know about someone and their circumstances, the better we can help.
For people applying for a Jobseeker Support benefit, they may need to complete a number of pre-benefit activities, depending on their situation. This could include creating a job seeker profile or updating a CV, which we can then use when matching people to available work.
To receive Jobseeker Support, you must be willing to accept suitable employment, except in cases where a medical condition temporarily prevents you from working.
There is help available, and we encourage people in need to contact us.
