The Government has announced it will provide an interim payment to displaced homeowners when their temporary accommodation payments run out.
It will be available from September 4 and will be made weekly.
Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the interim payment will be set at 100% of the average rent declared by Accommodation Supplement recipients in the recipients' region.
The Government said the payment is targeted to people who are not being otherwise supported to pay for temporary private rental accommodation.
"We recognise the need to provide certainty to residents who are unable to return to their homes. This payment will help bridge the gap until repairs are undertaken or a decision is made on the future of their property."
Sepuloni said that after visiting areas impacted by this year's extreme weather events and speaking to those impacted it was clear "they need and deserve certainty so that they can plan, recover, and get back to a sense of normality".
"The Government has prioritised setting up this payment now, as payments from insurers for temporary accommodation start to run out and the future for some people's homes remain uncertain.
"If a longer-term solution is needed there is work underway on what that might look like. In the meantime, the interim payment will give displaced homeowners the certainty and confidence they need to plan ahead," Sepuloni said.
Eligible displaced homeowners can receive a lump-sum payment covering them from as early as June 1 this year to ensure that there is not a gap in support.
Payments aren't taxable and won't affect Working for Families and most other social assistance entitlements.
Sepuloni said the interim payment is called the North Island Weather Events – Temporary Accommodation Assistance (NIWE TAA). The Ministry of Social Development can be contacted from August 21 to book an appointment, she said.
Who is eligible
============
Those who are displaced from their home which has received a red or yellow placard and they continue to face costs associated with their damaged home such as mortgage, rates and insurance.
Those who have a tenancy agreement from before July 19
Those who have earlier been receiving a temporary accommodation payment for their insurer but are no longer getting it
Those who aren't currently in Temporary Accommodation Service accommodation but are registered
Those who aren't receiving another Government payment for their temporary accommodation costs in the same property, such as the Accommodation Supplement or the Student Allowance Accommodation Benefit
What isn't covered
===============
Costs of commercial accommodation such as motels and hotels
Homeowners who are currently receiving payment for temporary support from their insurer. If a homeowner received an upfront lump sum from their insurer for temporary accommodation costs, they’re not eligible for NIWE TAA until their cover runs out
Homeowners who are receiving the Accommodation Supplement or the Student Allowance Accommodation Benefit
The Government said Auckland is AS Area One, Hawke's Bay is two, Gisborne is three and rural areas are four.
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Poll: As a customer, what do you think about automation?
The Press investigates the growing reliance on your unpaid labour.
Automation (or the “unpaid shift”) is often described as efficient ... but it tends to benefit employers more than consumers.
We want to know: What do you think about automation?
Are you for, or against?
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9.4% For. Self-service is less frustrating and convenient.
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43.6% I want to be able to choose.
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47.1% Against. I want to deal with people.
Time to Tickle Your Thinker 🧠
If a zookeeper had 100 pairs of animals in her zoo, and two pairs of babies are born for each one of the original animals, then (sadly) 23 animals don’t survive, how many animals do you have left in total?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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Even Australians get it - so why not Kiwis???
“Ten years ago, if a heatwave as intense as last week’s record-breaker had hit the east coast, Australia’s power supply may well have buckled. But this time, the system largely operated as we needed, despite some outages.
On Australia’s main grid last quarter, renewables and energy storage contributed more than 50% of supplied electricity for the first time, while wholesale power prices were more than 40% lower than a year earlier.
[…] shifting demand from gas and coal for power and petrol for cars is likely to deliver significantly lower energy bills for households.
Last quarter, wind generation was up almost 30%, grid solar 15% and grid-scale batteries almost tripled their output. Gas generation fell 27% to its lowest level for a quarter century, while coal fell 4.6% to its lowest quarterly level ever.
Gas has long been the most expensive way to produce power. Gas peaking plants tend to fire up only when supply struggles to meet demand and power prices soar. Less demand for gas has flowed through to lower wholesale prices.”
Full article: www.theguardian.com...
If even Australians see the benefit of solar - then why is NZ actively boycotting solar uptake? The increased line rental for electricity was done to make solar less competitive and prevent cost per kWh to rise even more than it did - and electricity costs are expected to rise even more. Especially as National favours gas - which is the most expensive form of generating electricity. Which in turn will accelerate Climate Change, as if New Zealand didn’t have enough problems with droughts, floods, slips, etc. already.
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