Press Release – Green Party Research released today reinforces the need for significant changes to our social safety net, the Green Party says. “Everyone deserves to live with dignity, but our current social safety net doesn’t do enough for our most vulnerable New Zealanders,” says Green Party spokesperson for Social Development & Employment Ricardo Menéndez March. “The University of Auckland research confirms what people on the benefit have been telling us – that a $25 increase to baseline benefits didn’t make meaningful changes to their lives. “Many people didn’t even get the full $25, and others saw it disappear immediately to cover the rising cost of housing.