Rich man was a poor man but the card's gone now

By THERESA GARNER

Millionaire New Zealand First candidate Ian Walker says he no longer has the community services card he carried in his wallet last year.

The chairman of Northland Federated Farmers told a reporter last year that despite being worth $7 million to $8 million, he had a community services card after making just $12 in the previous financial year.

"Like, okay, that's accounting and all that sort of stuff, but that's the reality," he said at the time.

The 42-year-old Kaitaia farmer, ranked fifth on the New Zealand First list, is assured of a seat in Parliament on present polling.

Mr Walker said yesterday that he had never used the card, and he had been taken "slightly out of context" in the July National Business Review article.

"What I was saying was that many farmers are asset-rich and income-poor, and that particular year, we had only just broken even on the farm.

"We obviously didn't live on $12. I was just highlighting the nonsense that can go on in the social welfare system, that puts me in the position where I'm eligible for a social welfare card and get sent one. I never actually used it."

He no longer had a card. "We made too much money last year."

The cards are provided by Work and Income New Zealand (Winz) to low-income families, who can then pay less for healthcare and prescriptions.

Families of four, such as Mr Walker's, can apply to Winz if they have an annual income of less than $37,692.