Pursuant to section 124 (1) (d) of the Social Security Act 1964, the Minister of Social Services and Employment establishes and approves the following Amendment to the Special Needs Grant welfare programme (as established and approved on 18 December 1998).
Dated at Wellington this 20th day of September 2000.
STEVE MAHAREY, Minister of Social Services and Employment.
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A m e n d m e n t
1. Title-(1) This is the Special Needs Grant Amendment (No 9).
(2) In this amendment, the Special Needs Grant Programme is called "the programme".
2. Commencement-This Amendment comes into effect on the day after the date on which the Minister gives his approval to it.
3. Special Assistance to the Rural Sector-(1) The programme is amended by inserting, after clause 18.3, the following clause:
"18.3A The chief executive may, on and after the date
the Special Needs Grant Amendment (No. 9) comes into effect, from time to time make
non-recoverable grants to any farmer-
"(a) whose land based industry situated in
the North Island of New Zealand is
bee-keeping and is in financial difficulty because its hives are severely affected by the Varroa Jacobsoni species (honey bee mite) and is not producing sufficient income to meet essential living expenses; and
"(b) who has no significant income other than from the land based industry; and
"(c) who either-
"(i) has made a decision to sell the land based industry at a price the Chief Executive considers to be realistic; or
"(ii) is in the process of actively evaluating the ongoing viability of the land based industry; or
"(iii) has evaluated the ongoing viability of the land based industry and is actively working towards its recovery as a viable bee-keeping business from the effects of the species; and
"(d) who has no assets unconnected with the land based industry that it would be practicable to realise."
(2) The programme is amended by inserting, after clause 18.6, the following clause:
"18.6A Grants may not be made under clause 18.3A for a period of more than 2 years."
(3) Clause 18.7 is amended by omitting the words "clause 18.2", and substituting the words "this Part".
(4) Clause 18.8 is amended by omitting the words "clause 18.2", and substituting the words "this Part".
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Explanatory Note:
This note is not part of the Amendment, but is intended to explain its general effect.
This amendment, which comes into effect on the day after the date on which the Minister gives his approval to it, amends Part 6 of the Special Needs Grant welfare programme (in relation to Special Assistance to the Rural Sector) by inserting a specific provision enabling certain beekeepers whose bee-keeping businesses are affected by the honey bee mite, to apply for non-recoverable grants under Part 6 of the programme.
The amendment also provides that non-recoverable grants may, in relation to these beekeepers, be made for a period of up to 2 years, and makes 2 consequential changes.