Notice Type
Departmental
Notice Title

Special Needs Grants Amendment (No. 3) 2016

This instrument is made under section 124(1)(d) of the Social Security Act 1964 by the Minister for Social Development.

Instrument

1. Title—This instrument is the Special Needs Grants Amendment (No. 3) 2016.

2. Commencement—This instrument comes into force on 1 July 2016.

3. Principal programme—This instrument amends the Special Needs Grants Programme1 (as established and approved on 18 December 1998 and as amended by the Instrument Amending Special Needs Grants Programme 2016 dated 9 June 20162.)

4. Clause 14A amended (People in need of emergency housing)—In clause 14A, replace clause 14A.6 with:

“14A.6 The whole of an emergency housing grant is recoverable if the chief executive considers that—

    1. the Applicant has failed to make a reasonable effort in the circumstances to access other sources of housing assistance; or
    2. if the Grant is a second or subsequent emergency housing grant made to the Applicant within a 52-week period, the Applicant has unreasonably contributed to the existence of the immediate emergency housing need.

14A.6A If clause 14A.6 does not apply and an emergency housing grant includes an amount for a bond (a bond grant), the bond grant is recoverable.

14A.6B If clause 14A.6 does not apply, an emergency housing grant is recoverable to the extent that is not used by the Applicant for the purpose or for the period for which the emergency housing grant was made.

14A.6C In calculating the amount recoverable under clause 14A.6B, the chief executive must have regard to any amount of the emergency housing grant refunded to the Applicant by the provider of the emergency housing.”

Dated at Wellington this 30th day of June 2016.

Hon JO GOODHEW, Associate Minister for Social Development on behalf of the Minister for Social Development.

Explanatory note

This note is not part of the instrument, but is intended to indicate its general effect.

This instrument, which comes into force on 1 July 2016, amends the Special Needs Grants Programme under the Social Security Act 1964 to make changes to the recoverability of the emergency housing grant under Part 5 of the programme. The amendment replaces clause 14A.6 with four new clauses. New clause 14A.6 is to the same effect as the current clause 14A.6(b). New clause 14A.6A makes it clear that the full amount of any bond included in an emergency housing grant is recoverable in all circumstances. New clauses 14A.6B and 6C also clarify that any amount of an emergency housing grant that is not used for the purpose and period for which it was granted is recoverable.

1New Zealand Gazette, 28 January 1999, No. 8, page 202
2New Zealand Gazette, 16 June 2016, Issue No. 54, Notice No. 2016-go3439