Ministry rejects claim that marchers given cash

By JAMES GARDINER

Claims that the Government bent welfare rules to give emergency benefits to Maori attending the hikoi were rejected last night.

Hikoi protesters who ran out of money after travelling to Wellington for Wednesday's march on Parliament were not eligible for special payments unless they met the usual criteria, the Social Development Ministry said yesterday.

"There are no special arrangements in relation to the hikoi," said ministry spokeswoman Bronwyn Saunders, who fielded numerous calls after various news organisations were tipped off that the Government had ordered the ministry to relax the rules and get the protesters home.

Ms Saunders said Work and Income staff in the Wellington region had reported two emergency payments were made to hikoi participants who needed money to get home.

"The regional operations manager asked staff to inform her if there were any that had been participating in the hikoi."

Only in unanticipated or special circumstances, such as a car breakdown or illness that thwarted travel arrangements, would a beneficiary get an emergency grant.

The cost of getting to and from Wellington for the hikoi would not qualify as a special circumstance.

"People participating knew that they would be travelling here and that they would be travelling back and knew that they had to arrange their accommodation," Ms Saunders said.

Emergency grants vary according to circumstances and are repayable, usually through deductions from future benefit payments.

Asked whether any hikoi applicants for emergency grants had been turned down, Ms Saunders said she did not know and it would be unreasonable to do a major survey of all benefit staff on a Friday afternoon.

She was unable to find out whether any emergency grants were made to hikoi participants from the central region offices, which included the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa, where many of the protesters stayed the nights before and after the march on Parliament.

National Party welfare spokeswoman Katherine Rich said she intended putting a series of written questions to Associate Social Development Minister Rick Barker about what payments were made to hikoi members and in what circumstances.

Act welfare spokeswoman Dr Muriel Newman has also put written questions to Mr Barker asking for a breakdown of any special assistance provided by the Government or its agencies to help people attend the hikoi, such as for transport costs.