Tavia Moore News Today

On Saturday, the team had a bouncy house, pop-up shop, a cook-off, popcorn, and a clown to play some friendly competition of tik-tak-toe at Bayview Park.

Support services say National's new welfare policy is outdated, and will worsen the situation for beneficiaries.

Callers say they are spending up to 80 minutes on hold to get help as the Christmas rush and the latest Covid wage subsidies overload the system.

Benefit fraud investigators are asking fewer people questions about their relationship status but advocates say MSD needs to do away with rules that effect what people are entitled to.

Tavia Moore is an advocate with Christchurch Beneficiary Advisory Services. Too often, pleas for help by those living on a benefit are left to the discretion of Work and Income case managers, says a beneficiary advocate. Tavia Moore, an advocate at the Beneficiary Advisory Service in Christchurch, said she spent a lot of time negotiating decisions to help people in need get food. Those seeking help could get one response from one person and a different response from someone else. ’Sometime...