The first thing to do is apply to Work and Income – you don’t have to wait until you’ve used all of your savings or redundancy payment before you apply. 

Jobseeker Support:

• $353/week for a single person 25+years, $494/week for sole parents, and unemployed couples $600+/week amount depending on children.

• Apply for a client number through MyMSD and fill out the application for Jobseeker Support.

• You’ll need to upload into the MyMSD app: a valid NZ Driver Licence or Passport, screenshots of your bank accounts, mortgages, and any other loan agreements/terms, your most recent rates invoice and any encroachment invoice, and any IR documents related to child support whether a payer or a recipient. 

• The identity verification at the end will take you to the Internal Affairs website and you’ll need a camera for it to match your face to your ID.   

• Next, you’ll get an invite for your first face-to-face appointment. Block out plenty of time. Bring the ID you used in your application. The interviewer should mention that an Accommodation Supplement is available under certain circumstances.

• Make sure to ask for your payments to be backdated to the first contact date. At this appointment the application should be officially submitted, and they should notify you either there in person or shortly after by phone if it has been accepted. If it is accepted you should also automatically receive the Winter Energy Payment (from May to October) – which is $20/week for individuals with no dependents, or $31/week for couples and single parents.

• Next, you’ll be notified about and need to RSVP for a mandatory jobs seminar.

• About a month later you’ll be invited to your first mandatory monthly client support face-to-face meeting. At this meeting your Case Manager should tell you that you can also apply for Temporary Additional Support for urgent costs – if you do, you’ll need to complete an application form and have quotes/receipts. Group these into one application, complete it using free PDF editing software (available through Gmail or elsewhere online) and email to your Case Manager attaching quotes/receipts – remember to indicate in the subject line how urgent it is. 

The first thing to know about this is it’s not a holiday – it’ a partial or complete payment deferral, and it comes with consequences. 

Many banks offer either 3 months of complete suspension or 6 months paying interest only.  If you’re not already, go onto the minimum payment in the interim while they assess your application.

The 3-month complete suspension option means when the deferral period is over the payments will not only recommence but also increase, plus the overall term of the loan will extend.Allow weeks for this application to be processed.

KiwiSaver Significant Financial Hardship:

• Your provider will want proof that this is a last resort, i.e. you’re on the benefit and have taken a mortgage holiday if applicable. 

• Processes will vary by provider but for me it required lots of maths, breaking weekly, monthly, annual payments down to a weekly total – but I have to say it is quite an eye opener when you do this and add everything up to a weekly total and see the difference in income vs outgoings. 

• You will be asked to request a lump sum, but it’s up to your provider how much you receive – in my case it was based on a calculation tied to the length of my mortgage holiday. 

• Many people won’t have a printer at home. Download and complete the application again using free PDF editing software and visit Community Law for free printing and witnessing the statutory declaration (which has to be done by a JOP or solicitor). They have sessions nearly every weekday at varying times but they open 30min before the session and it’s generally first come first served. 

• Allow weeks for this application to be processed as well.

Life and/or income protection insurance:

You may have life and/or income protection insurance. 

You can apply for financial hardship payment deferral for these as well – check that you’re still covered for income protection if you were to get seriously ill. Maintaining cover is important as sometimes when it rains it pours. 

Health insurance: 

It can be tempting to cancel, but if you do need care in the private system in the meantime, a KiwiSaver Medical Hardship application may not be successful if the treatment or procedure is deemed elective, especially as treating many women’s health issues continue to be. 

Now it’s time to get any urgent costs that can’t wait and think about your ongoing costs on a weekly fixed income. 

• Move to prepay weekly energy payments. Make the most of your plan perks (e.g. free first weekend each month free or free hour each day). 

• If your provider doesn’t offer good perks or you think you’re paying too much you can visit powerswitch.org.nz – all you need to do is enter a meter reading and some basic info and it will show the best value provider available for you and will switch you over for free and without hassle.

• Check out what your provider offers in terms of customer support – some have Customer Wellbeing Teams who can talk you through buying prepaid discount ‘packs’ even while making weekly payments. See if you’re eligible for a Sustainability Trust Healthy Home Assessment that takes about an hour and a half – there are subsidies up to $1600 for people on low incomes. 

• Listen to the Q&A session at the end of the webinar for further savings ideas e.g. phone and internet. 

Make the most of your Community Services Card which you’ll receive shortly after receiving your first benefit payment. Aside from covering emergency dental and other health services through it you can: 

• register your card on your Snapper account and get huge discounts on public transport fares. 

• cancel your gym membership and get discounted access to council recreation venues by signing up for a Leisure Card 

Our local businesses need us! Some ideas:

• Go to an apprentice hairdresser.

• Switch from a franchise lawn service to a local through Student Job Search

• Use First Table or try Everybody Eats  

• Subscribe to a vege box e.g. WonkyBox

• Consign clothes e.g. Honour and Recycle Boutique – if they don’t sell, they’ll be donated to Dress for Success. Now when you want something new, you can use credit from those consignments or just think a lot harder about if you really need it after looking through what preloved options are available.