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  1. Home
  2. Health
  3. COVID-19
  4. Benefits, financial support and foodbanks

Benefits, financial support and foodbanks

General Support

Support is available for individuals, families, employers, and self-employed people affected by COVID-19.


2 September 2021

If whānau need food urgently (in the next 24-48 hours) you can connect with your local foodbank.

See our webpage Foodbanks - locations and contacts for the location and contact details of known Foodbanks operating in the Southern region.

A list of food banks and other food assistance services across NZ can be found on:

  • Family Services Directory
  • Food Secure Communities

28 August 2021

Rent arrears assistance - Work and Income

If you have overdue rent and you’re worried you will lose your housing, you can talk to Work and Income for support.

If money is tight and you’re worried you’ll lose your housing because you owe rent, you may be able to get Rent Arrears Assistance.

  • You don’t need to be on a benefit to qualify for this help.
  • It’s a one-off payment.
  • You’ll need to pay the money back. We’ll put a repayment plan in place to suit your financial circumstances.

Who can get it?

You may be able to get Rent Arrears Assistance if you:

  • are 16 or older
  • have signed the tenancy agreement (or you’re a tenant by way of a Family Violence Act order)
  • have overdue rent you need to pay
  • may be evicted because you haven’t paid your rent
  • are able to stay there if you pay the rent you owe, eg:
    • your tenancy isn’t about to expire
    • you can afford to keep paying the rent.

What you can get

How much you get depends on the amount of rent you owe. The most you can get is $2,000 and you’ll need to pay it back.

You can only get this payment once in 12 months, unless there are exceptional situations, eg:

  • sickness or injury, or
  • you’re in a family violence situation, or
  • a victim of violent crime.

How to apply - call us

If you’re:

  • getting NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension, call Senior Services on 0800 552 002
  • a student, call StudyLink on 0800 88 99 00
  • getting another payment from us, call us on 0800 559 009
  • not getting any payments from us, call us on 0800 559 009.

We’ll book you an appointment to discuss your application.

Whānau Ora contacts

  • Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (North Island): Phone: 0800 929 282
  • Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu (South Island): Phone: 0800 187 689
  • Pasifika Futures: Phone: 0800 890 110

Key contacts

  • MSD: 0800 559 009
  • Community services directory
  • Youthline: 0800 376 633
  • Healthline: 0800 611 116

If you are experiencing Family Violence please call Police on 111 if you are in danger, or call:

  • Women’s Refuge crisis: 0800 733 843 — 24 hours
  • Family violence information line: 0800 456 450
  • Shine National Helpline: 0508 744 633 — 9am to 11pm
  • Shakti — for migrant and refugee women: 0800 742 584 — 24 hours
  • Elder Abuse Helpline: 0800 32 668 65 — 24 hours

Emergency food requests

MSD can assist people who need food urgently.

See Food information on the Work and Income website

If support for food through Work and Income is not suitable as a first option, people can search the Family Services Directory for a local foodbank:

Auckland Foodbanks

Rest of NZ Foodbanks

The Ministry of Social Development also supports foodbanks and community food providers who are distributing food in the community.


Work and Income may be able to help

If any whānau need financial help to buy food or pay other essential costs, they may be able to get help through Work and Income. They do not need to be on a benefit to get help. Work and Income can help with paying for food, accommodation costs, power and gas bills, heating and medical or dental costs. To access this support whânau can:

  • Call 0800 559 009
  • Use the online calculator to check what they might get.

Also,

  • Work and Income may be able to help if you can’t work from home, if you’re working fewer hours, or if you’ve lost your job.
  • Work and Income can help with essential costs like food, your rent or mortgage, and other urgent bills.
  • Talk to Work and Income to see how they can help.
  • Check out the ‘COVID-19 Support’ page on the Work and Income website, workandincome.govt.nz

Work and Income website

Link to General Work and Income Support: https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/eligibility/index.html

Link to COVID Information: COVID-19 - Work and Income

Link to Check What You Can Get: https://check.msd.govt.nz/

Contact Work and Income by phone:

General enquiries

Call our general enquiries team anytime between:

Monday to Friday - 7am and 6pm

Saturday - 8am and 1pm

Phone: 0800 559 009

To speak to us in another language, you can ask for an interpreter when you call.

Emergency benefit for temporary visa holders

If you’ve got a temporary visa and are in financial hardship, we may be able to help you with an Emergency Benefit.

Applying for this benefit won’t affect any visa application you may have with Immigration New Zealand.

This support is ending on 31 August 2021.

More information about the emergency benefit for temporary visa holders on the Work and Income website.


Youth service support

Youth Service providers are available by phone only during Alert Level 4. Contact details for youth providers can be found on the Youth Service website.

During this Alert Level 4 period, regular payments will continue, and Youth Coach will continue to provide support.

To check your payments or tell us about your changes, visit MyMSD.

You can get more help and information from:

  • your Youth Coach
  • your GP or local community health centre
  • Youthline - 0800 376 633 or www.youthline.co.nz
  • Need To Talk by calling or texting 1737
  • in an emergency always call 111

Pasefika Proud - family violence prevention

Pasefika Proud is a social change movement – ‘by Pacific for Pacific’ – to boost wellbeing for Pacific families and transform attitudes, behaviours and norms that enable violence.

Pasfika Proud has a list of providers, community groups and supports to help people impacted by COVID-19:

COVID-19 Help Hub on the Pasefika Proud website

In this section
  • Health
  • COVID-19
    • Orange traffic light
    • COVID-19 RAT testing
    • How to self-isolate
    • Traffic light system
    • Red traffic light
    • Vaccines for Tamariki
    • Omicron Variant
    • Green traffic light
    • COVID-19 symptoms
    • Who’s at higher risk of COVID-19?
    • Face masks
    • Vaccinations
    • Benefits, financial support and foodbanks
      • Foodbanks - locations and contacts
    • Tamariki - keeping them safe and reassured
    • Mental Health - looking after yourself
    • Learn more about the COVID-19 virus
    • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Whānau Ora Navigators
  • Community youth worker and advocacy service
  • Kaumatua Health Day
  • Te Kakano - Nurse-led Clinics

© Hokonui Rūnanga 2022 • Website by RS

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    • History of Hokonui Rūnanga
    • Whakapapa
    • Wai and Whakapapa
    • The Battle of Waitaramea
    • Poupoutunoa and Kauwaewhakatoro
    • Two Rivers: Mataura (Mata Ura) and Clutha (Mata Au)
      • Mata Ura - Mataura River
      • Mata Au - Clutha River
    • Property assets
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    • Where are we?
    • Job vacancies
  • Kaupapa Taiao
    • LEARNZ Hokonui restoration field trip videos
    • Te Kawa o Te Taiao
    • Kaitiaki Taiao Tauira Programme
    • Hokonui Hills and Haumuri/Croydon Bush Biodiversity Project
      • Haumuri/Croydon Bush Restoration Project
      • Hokonui Hills Biodiversity Project
    • Catlins and Ōtewao/Forest Hill Biodiversity Project
      • The Catlins
      • Forest Hill/Ōtewao
    • Hokonui Wetland
    • Koura
    • Mataura Mataitai
    • Floriculture
    • Portfolios
      • Aukaha
      • Te Roopu Taiao and Te Ao Marama
  • Education
    • LEARNZ Hokonui Restoration: Tech in Te Taiao
  • Health
    • COVID-19
      • Orange traffic light
      • COVID-19 RAT testing
      • How to self-isolate
      • Traffic light system
      • Red traffic light
      • Vaccines for Tamariki
      • Omicron Variant
      • Green traffic light
      • COVID-19 symptoms
      • Who’s at higher risk of COVID-19?
      • Face masks
      • Vaccinations
      • Benefits, financial support and foodbanks
        • Foodbanks - locations and contacts
      • Tamariki - keeping them safe and reassured
      • Mental Health - looking after yourself
      • Learn more about the COVID-19 virus
      • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
    • Whānau Ora Navigators
    • Community youth worker and advocacy service
    • Kaumatua Health Day
    • Te Kakano - Nurse-led Clinics
  • News
  • Photos
  • Contact
  • Register
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