WINZ staff discussing sleight of hand tactics. I doubt if there is even one beneficiary in the whole of New Zealand that has not suffered the indignity of being deceived by their case manager.

Worst in world

August 2006 – Local Newspapers report that New Zealand has the worst record of all Western nations in the care of their sick and disabled.

Why wouldn't they be happy?

They have just cheated a few more sick and disabled kiwi's out of their supplementary entitlements and received a bonus for their 'good work'

Preamble

Many New Zealand families include a disabled person. But if an immediate family member is not disabled then there is a likely hood that a cousin, aunt, or nephew is disabled and requires day to day supervision. By that I mean the disabled person is dependent upon others for support. This is the situation with my wife Sheryl, who suffers from Resinual Schizophrenia - no motivation. She is solely dependent upon the State for all her financial needs and is dependent upon myself for her day to day care and in home treatment.

Work and Income NZ's primary purpose has been to save the government money by disadvantaging the disadvantaged; by ensuring as many persons as possible who require assistance over and above the basic benefit - a sickness or invalid's benefit - are refused the help needed to cope better with their disability.

Rarely has Work and Income's cleverly designed ploys to deny sick and disabled persons their legal and medical entitlements been brought into the light of public observation and debate. Newspapers are loathe to print cases in point - probably because every page of the newspaper would be filled with stories of Work and Income's appalling denial of assistance to disabled people.

This is evidenced by the many thousands of deserving people who, through no fault of their own, are forced to live in a state of paucity until they die. It is an indictment on the New Zealand government which has clearly given its approval to Work and Income NZ to employ all sorts of trick-dickey stuff to ensure disabled persons remain in poverty, and as a consequence they remain destitute, unhappy, and almost none recover from their ailment.

It is a fact that most disabled people who approach Work and Income for assistance do not get their entitlements. Pam Corkery, just after leaving parliament, said that the response from Work and Income to a beneficiary's request for assistance was similar to "walking through a minefield." How true.

Most people who approach Work and Income for assistance and are knocked back for some reason will often never apply again. They feel too humiliated or believe that they have done all within their power to obtain help, and failed. They remain living in deficient dwelling's and unhealthy circumstances because Work and Income NZ refused to give them assistance. Often, the reason for refusing assistance is not valid, but the beneficiary is unaware of this because he is ignorant of those allowances and grants to which he is entitled., and the criteria under which they are granted. A percentage of the money saved in this manner is given to WINZ employees by way of bonus's. (where else could bonus money come from). No wonder staff deny assistance to disabled persons at every opportunity.

Government's encourages this 'dog eat dog' culture. Darren Hughes, a 26 year old Labour Member of Parliament for Horowhenua, reflects this attitude. The message I received from his secretary a couple of weeks ago, and from Mr Hughes during two interviews, was that legislation means nothing where disability entitlements are concerned. Misleading statements, diversionary tactics, in fact anything to ensure that legislation which makes provision for assistance; are not followed.

Denied help

There is ample provision in legislation to enable disabled persons to live with dignity, comfort, security and happiness. However, to ensure this does not become a reality for disabled persons Work and Income bosses are constantly revising their coggery and unwritten policies in order to deny assistance to the disabled. For too long thousands of deserving people have been refused essential financial help. Each passing day a disabled person is 'thrown out' of a WINZ office without the assistance he had hoped for, and which he should have received.

Link to:

Benefit Review Committee a farce

Deception-name of the game

Duk-here's Bea!

Duk-here's Jill!

Elderly deceived - part one

Elderly deceived - part two

Elderly deceived - part three

Elderly deceived - part four

Misinformation

Poor crushed

Service centre managers

Superannuates misled part 1

Superannuates misled part 2

Temporary Additional Support – T.A.S.

The lie

Tricky-dickey stuff

WINZ – bullies