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Welfare Working Group
The Welfare Working Group was established by Cabinet to undertake an expansive and fundamental review of New Zealand’s welfare system. The Group’s primary task was to identify how to reduce long-term welfare dependency.
The Welfare Working Group presented its recommendations to the Government on 22 February 2011.
| Download the Final Report | Word format |  |
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| Download the Executive Summary only | Word format | |
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The Welfare Working Group engaged with a wide range of individuals and organisations in the conversation about creating a more sustainable and fair welfare system. The Welfare Working Group released an Issues Paper and Options Paper for public discussion in 2010.
Options Paper
In November 2010, the Welfare Working Group published "Reducing Long-Term Benefit Dependency: The Options". This paper canvasses a wide range of topics and looks at possible ways to improve the benefit system.
| Download the Options Paper | Word format | |
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| Download the Executive Summary only | Word format | |
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- Access the submissions the Welfare Working Group received.
Issues Paper
In August 2010, the Welfare Working Group published "Long-Term Benefit Dependency: The Issues".
| Download the Summary Issues Paper | Word format | |
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| Download the Detailed Issues Paper | Word format | |
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- Access the submissions the Welfare Working Group received.
Welfare Working Group background
The Government asked the Working Group to consider three questions:
- Is New Zealand doing the right things to reduce long-term welfare dependency?
- Have we got the right welfare structure in place, and the right incentives to get people into work?
- Are we getting the outcomes that taxpayers want from the system, looking at sustainability, fairness, access and improved social outcomes?
Further details about what was in scope and out of scope for the review can be found here
The Welfare Working Group was hosted by Victoria University’s Institute of Policy Studies and was supported by a secretariat seconded from across Government agencies.