The Government is failing to address benefit dependency, with new data revealing the number of Kiwis on a main benefit has barely budged in the last six months, National’s Social Development and Employment spokesperson Louise Upston says.

Data released today by the Ministry of Social Development reveals there are 344,937 Kiwis dependent on a main benefit for income, compared to 346,323 on 20 May – a change of less than half a per cent over the last six months.

“With businesses across the country crying out for workers, it beggars belief that one in nine working-age adults are receiving a benefit. This is equivalent to the populations of Hamilton and Tauranga combined dependent on the state to support themselves and their children,” Ms Upston says.

“We know we can do better. When National left office in 2017, there were almost 70,000 fewer Kiwis on a main benefit than today.

“Labour has squandered a golden opportunity to reduce benefit dependency and all the social harms it brings. The last six months has been a period of record job vacancies but remarkably, Labour has made close to zero progress bringing down dependency.

“With the Reserve Bank now forecasting rising unemployment as they try to offset the inflationary impact of this Government’s addiction to spending, it’s unlikely benefit numbers will ever return to their pre-Labour lows.

“Labour’s approach to welfare is trapping more and more Kiwi families in dependency. It’s not kind, it’s cruel.

“National’s welfare plan would break the cycle of dependency by powering up community organisations to deliver individualised coaching for young jobseekers and set clear obligations about the need to prepare themselves for work.

“Unlike Labour, National has a plan and we will ensure another generation of New Zealanders are not consigned to a life of benefit dependency.”

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