New law to see extra $20 a week in sole parents' pockets
The law will see weekly child support payments collected by Inland Revenue passed on directly to eligible sole parents from July 1.
Currently child support payments are collected and used to offset the cost of the benefit paid to parents on the sole parent rate.
Parents will also no longer be required to apply for child support to receive their benefits.
"This change is estimated to lift as many as 14,000 children out of poverty," Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni said. "The first payments will be passed on to parents from August 22, 2023.
"We firmly believe that money intended for children should not be withheld by the Government, and go towards their well-being."
Revenue Minister David Parker added that the move will see sole parents "treated the same" as other beneficiaries.
"If parents know that the child support they pay will get to their own children, it will also encourage more parents to pay," he said.
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Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️