Latest fromMinistry of Social Development

'Where is the justice?'
A man abused as a ward of the state 25 years ago is incensed about the $12,000 compensation offer made to him, saying it feels 'like a kick in the guts'.

Man calls for extended care of state
Tupua Urlich was just 17 when the state ended its care for him.

Govt's $360k pay TV bill
A spend of more than $360,000 on pay television subscriptions by Government departments has been criticised by Labour.

Aid agency funds to be tightened
Some agencies are expected to close in a radical revamp of social service funding unveiled by Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.

Income-related rent subsidies increase
An extra 3000 tenants will be entitled to the income-related rent subsidy under changes outlined in the Budget.

Income gap widened faster in NZ - OECD
The income gap between children and the elderly has widened faster in New Zealand than in other developed countries during the recent recession, a new report shows.

Fast-track settlements for victims
More than 860 victims who were abused while in state care have been given the option of a fast-track settlement.

Preschool ID numbers concern
Pressure to broaden the use of identification numbers attached to preschoolers has concerned the Privacy Commissioner.

Mum can't afford medicine
An 8-year-old Manurewa boy is one of 11,000 disabled children to lose a welfare benefit, even though his asthma is so bad that he missed one in every four school days.

Anthony Russell: Winz charges signal path for Worksafe
The tragic events in the Winz office in Ashburton last September have resulted in action before the Courts. The obvious being the alleged offender facing multiple criminal charges, including murder.

Winz shooting: payouts on cards
Victims of the Ashburton Winz shooting and their families could be in line to receive payouts after one Crown agency prosecuted another.

New state houses - minus the view
If you want a state house with a view, forget it. Beautiful views are banned in a draft new Government policy. Double garages and decks are out, too.

Kiwi shortlisted for one-way Mars trip
An Auckland man could end up swapping his job at the Ministry of Social Development for a one-way ticket to Mars.

Ashburton shooting report
A review of security at the Ministry of Social Development, prompted by last year's deadly shooting at the Ashburton Work and Income office, has found tighter security would not have prevented the incident.

Drop in public sector jobs
The number of core public servants has fallen well below the Government’s cap.

Commission's rebrand really Gauls
The Families Commission is rebranding today taking a name which almost identical to that of a French supermarket chain.

Smith swindled thousands from taxpayer
Convicted murderer and paedophile Phillip John Smith swindled thousands of dollars from the taxpayer, using false documents when studying in prison.

Beneficiary awarded more than $20,000
A beneficiary has been awarded more than $20,000 after Housing New Zealand was found to have been over-collecting private information about him.

MSD hints at superannuation review
The Ministry of Social Development has signalled a need to “explore options relating to the age of eligibility” for NZ superannuation, and wants a review of benefit rates to tackle child poverty.

98 jobs to go at MSD, 107 to be made
Nearly 100 jobs are set to go at Work and Income - but the government says even more new roles will be created.

John Armstrong: Taxpayer looks the loser in English's pet reform
Bill English's masterplan to radically "reform" the Labour-initiated, octogenarian state housing scheme has all the hallmarks of being ideological for ideology's sake.

Ministry man investigated over blog
A public servant is under investigation over allegations that he said beneficiaries were "stupid" for having children.

Nats include 18, 19-year-olds in scheme
A further 3500 young people on welfare could have their spending tightly controlled by an adult supervisor if National is re-elected.

National to extend control of teen beneficiaries' finances
The Government is to extend its control of spending by young beneficiaries to all teen parents and many 18 and 19-year-olds.

Calls to helplines went unanswered
A Hastings woman who died following an overdose made two calls to emergency helplines that went unanswered before her death.