re Meetings between
Community groups and WINZ
The issue of getting WINZ to listen seriously to the concerns community groups and many others have about the way WINZ operates concerns us all.
WINZ essentially made no response to Nigel’s City Council WINZ report which was passed by the full Council last August. The few meetings that WINZ people have met with community groups leave a lot to be desired. Te Rehia generally says concerns are not up for discussion and if they are she often gives a good impression of not hearing. Meetings are generally only attended by Te Rehia and Grayson, both of whom are figureheads and whitewashers.
The real power lies with Te Hopi, the Operations Manager, but as WINZ is a paperless organisation, unless the branch and other managers are involved, little is likely to impact or any change result.
At a meeting with Steve after the Housing Forum I raised these concerns and he agreed that Te Hopi needs to be involved as well as the other managers. He had been meeting with advocacy group representatives from around the country, found that very useful and told WINZ head office people to pass the message down that they are to invite local community advocacy groups in.
While Grayson has been on the phone to some of you nothing has happened and at the LEC meeting last week, Te Rehia gave no indication that anything was planned, and gave indications to the contrary.
Following the meeting with Steve I wrote to Jill White, Mayor, in place of meeting with her (I had to cancel) suggesting that she call, chair, facilitate a meeting including all WINZ managers, including Te Hopi with the 22 or more community groups in the city which have an advocacy role so that all managers get the messages, rather than only a limited number of agency people being invited onto WINZ territory for a charade.
I spoke to Jill later and said I wanted to put a report to the last Low Income Sub-committee to this effect and she said she would do it without a report. Indications since from Jill, and also from Te Rehia at the LEC meeting strongly suggest that Jill will not do this as it could cut across something else “she” has underway.
I therefore propose that I write to Steve, as Palmerston North MP, asking him to convene the first one with Cathryn McCartney his electorate secretary (who replaced Gladys) possibly taking over in succeeding meetings, to be held every three months.
Let me have your comments and I will draft the letter which I will again circulate and would like you to co-sign.
Many thanks Ian ph/fax 3289 618
Palmerston North Poverty
Action Group
C/- Ian Ritchie
Feilding, R D 7
ph/fax 3289 618
20 April 2000
Hon Steve Maharey
MP for Palmerston North
P O Box 1430
Palmerston North
Dear Steve
Community
Advocacy Groups and WINZ
For some time now, community workers in Palmerston North have been attempting to have meaningful discussions with local WINZ staff about the recurring difficulties their clients have with WINZ. To date the meetings that have taken place have been most unsatisfactory. This is for several reasons:
· The WINZ staff at meetings with community workers often decline to discuss difficulties. If difficulties are discussed a strong impression is usually received that they do not want to know about them.
· Examples of difficulties are consistently treated as applying to the individual alone. To date, they have been unwilling to consider that repeated examples of the same difficulty could indicate a possible system problem which could be investigated from that perspective.
· No change results from these meetings.
·
We suspect that we are dealing with
the wrong people, only the Regional Commissioner and the Public Relations
Spokesperson.
We would like the meetings to be formalised
to include the Operations Manager and all Service Managers. We would like all
community groups with an advocacy role to be included and we would like meetings to be
quarterly so that progress can be monitored.
Most importantly, we would like you to facilitate and chair the
meetings. Your involvement would ensure that the meetings were treated
seriously by all parties and that progress resulted.
We consider this would be an excellent use of your valuable time in the
electorate as probably between one third and half the population in the city
are dependent on WINZ for income support.
The following are a number of the groups in the city with an advocacy
role who should be included:
- Central Region Advocacy Service -
Dianne Hendry - MSSC/PN
Foodbank
- Salvation Army -
MESA - HAC
- Manawatu Home Budgeting -
DPA - Financial
Freedom Trust
- ACROSS -
CAB - Women’s
Refuge
- Maori Women’s Refuge -
Birthright - Youth One
Stop Shop
- Camellia House -
Drug Arm - Te Aroha Noa
- MUSA Advocacy Service -
PARS - UCOL
Advocacy Service
- Schizophrenia Fellowship -
Community Law Centre
and Cathryn McCartney, your Electorate Secretary
There are likely to be others.
We look forward to discussing this proposal with you and particularly
getting the first meeting underway.
Many thanks for your support once again.
Yours sincerely
Ian Ritchie Rev
John Wilson
Co-ordinator Convenor
Gail Munro Jude
Marshall
Director, MSSC Housing
Advice Centre
Gillian Absolon Lesley
Read
Mature Employment Support Agency Director,
ACROSS
Betty Holmes Mike
Hogan
Citizens Advice Bureau Central
Region Advocacy Service
Natasha Heard
MUSA Welfare VP
Palmerston North Poverty
Action Group
C/- Ian Ritchie
Feilding, R D 7
ph/fax 3289 618
22 May 2000
Hon Steve Maharey
MP for Palmerston North
P O Box 1430
Palmerston North
Dear Steve
Community Advocacy Groups and the Department of Work and Income
Thank you for your letter, 00066, dated 3 May.
I apologise for the delay in replying. This letter is to confirm the message for you I gave to Graham on Friday.
We will be very pleased for you to organise the meeting between Department of Work and Income staff, especially the Operations Manager and all Service Managers, and the 23 community groups in the city who take an advocacy role with the Department, and including Cathryn.
We are happy with the idea of an independent facilitator, and suggest, Jill White, the Mayor, who we think would do a good job. Alternatively we suggest Robyn Munford.
While we accept that you position as Minister of Social Services means it would not be appropriate for you to chair the meeting, we consider it very important that you attend. We therefore consider that the meetings, which we would like to be held every three months, be held at a time and date when you will be available, presumably Fridays.
As I said to Graham, I will be happy to supply contact details for the community groups we consider need to be invited, if your office does not already have them.
We look forward to the first meeting.
Yours sincerely
Ian Ritchie
Co-ordinator
Palmerston North Poverty
Action Group
C/- Ian Ritchie
Feilding, R D 7
ph/fax 3289 618
21 June 2000
Hon Steve Maharey
MP for Palmerston North
P O Box 1430
Palmerston North
Attention:
Graham
Community
Advocacy Groups and WINZ
The community groups we would like to see invited to the meeting are as follows:
1. Central Region Advocacy Service, 117a Highbury Ave, Palmerston North
2. Methodist Social Services / Palmerston North Foodbank, P O Box 1887, Palmerston North
3. Salvation Army Family Services, P O Box 869, Palmerston North
4. Mature Employment Support Agency, P O Box 1681, Palmerston North
5. Housing Advice Centre, P O Box 4348, Palmerston North
6. Manawatu Tenants’ Union, P O Box 2060, Palmerston North
7. Manawatu Home Budgeting Services, P O Box 7040, Pioneer Highway, Palmerston North
8. Disabled Persons Assembly, P O Box 561, Palmerston North
9. Dianne Hendry, 24 Dampier Ave, Palmerston North
10.Financial Freedom Trust, P O Box 787, Palmerston North
11.ACROSS Social Services, P O Box 1140, Palmerston North
12.Citizens’ Advice Bureau, P O Box 1206, Palmerston North
13.Women’s Refuge, P O Box 573, Palmerston North
14.Maori Women’s Refuge, Te Roopu Whakaruruhau o nga Wahine Maori, c/- P O Box 573, Palmerston North
15.Birthright (Palmerston North) Inc, P O Box 1985, Palmerston North
16.Youth One Stop Shop, P O Box 575, Palmerston North
17.Camellia House, 160a Park Rd, Palmerston North
18.Drug Arm, P O Box 1031, Palmerston North
19.Te Aroha Noa Family Services, 12 Brentwood Ave, Palmerston North
20.Massey University Students’ Association Advocacy Service, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North
21.Massey University College of Education Students’ Association, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North
22.Massey University Extramural Students’ Society, EXMSS House, Refectory Rd, Massey University
23.PARS, P O Box 1063, Palmerston North
24.UCOL Student Financial Advisory and Support Services, Private Bag 11 022, Palmerston North
25.Manawatu SF, Private Bag 5010, Palmerston North
26.Community Law Centre, (Jo Herbert) c/- Palmerston North City Council, City Alive!, Private Bag 11 034, Palmerston North
27.Nigel Fitzpatrick, Community Advisor, Palmerston North City Council, Private Bag 11 034, Palmerston North
28.Tony Grace, Pensions/Welfare Officer, Palmerston North RSA, P O Box 88, Palmerston North
29.The Nutrition Network, c/- Heather Tate, Health Promotion Advisor, P O Box 2056, Palmerston North
I think it would be very useful if either yourself or Cathryn could also attend.
I am assuming that the purpose of the meeting is as requested in the letter from the Group dated 20 April, 2000, “to have meaningful discussions with local WINZ staff about the recurring difficulties their clients have with WINZ. “
To encourage people to treat the meeting seriously, you might like to include the following note from me in the letter you send out to the groups.
“This meeting represents an important step in the process of establishing good working relationships with the staff at the Department of Work and Income. The Operations Manager and all Service Managers will be attending, so I urge you to make sure that one of your staff is able to attend and that you put forward items for the agenda that will ensure that the concerns of your group are considered.”
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Ian Ritchie
Spokesperson
To Steve Maharey from Ian
Ritchie
Re the WINZ / Community
Groups meeting 4 August, 2000
Suggested Agenda Items
Introductions - all round
Ground rules - we respect each other
- we listen to each other
- Agreement on how to disagree
- How to ensure that people are not made more unsafe (or vulnerable) by
agreeing to participate
- discussion of issues that involve Departmental policies, especially where for example, matters of fairness or legality are concerned, making it safe for Departmental staff to be involved in the discussions.
- we all agree to work for positive outcomes
- the Department implements the changes agreed to
Steve gives his expectations and desired outcomes
Discussion - of what Steve has said
- what “partnership” means
Discussion on process issues:
- How will we ensure that issues raised are followed up and dealt with
Issues - see attached list
Agreement on specific issues where changes can be made.
Agreeing on how these issues will be moved forward and progress reported back
Exploring if we can work to strengthen the ability of Central Region Work and Income with
the help of local MP's (perhaps through pilot studies) to meet needs (that are currently unmet or very difficult to meet).
Media reports
Next meeting - time
- place
- facilitator
- notice / minutes of this meeting
- invitation list
Issues:
· Why have the issues raised at the February meeting not been acted upon?
· When do individual case issues become system issues
· the role of advocates
· Determining eligibility for Special Benefits
· the Disability Allowance
· The rate of debt recovery, this is often excessive
· Training of case managers - some are unable to even use the computer programme which would appear to be the most basic requirement
· Simplifying the benefit structure
· The culture of with-holding information
· Access for urgent appointments
· What constitutes an emergency?
· The treatment self-employed people get
· Women being pressured into work or training when they should be looking after children, including babies
· The earning allowance for couples, should be $160, not $80.
· Abatement rates
· Staff not dealing with people who appear to be capable of looking for work themselves
