Introduction

The first part of this book set out the growth in poverty, its effects and impacts, particularly for the most vulnerable, and the changing (and in many instances deteriorating) living standards for many New Zealanders over the last two decades. The effects, the immediately contributing and causal roots, and the responses to that poverty are clear, particularly in relation to the implications for families and children. Furthermore, as the earlier discussion noted, the increases in poverty over the two decades reviewed here have been accompanied by a significant widening of income inequality and a deteriorating sense of ‘belonging and participation’. State responses to the growth of poverty fall into two broad categories, on the one hand greater targeting and individualised, discretionary provision and on the other hand increased reliance on the community and voluntary sector, demonstrated most clearly in the growth and subsequent consolidation of foodbanks. Some of those responses have added to and significantly exacerbated the levels and depth of poverty. Alongside and informing many aspects of these specific and direct responses have been broader structural and ideological changes that have been aimed at reshaping and redirecting social security policy, both structurally and ideologically. Over the more than two decades examined in this chapter, the basic structure has changed (and, the current government has indicated, will continue to change). The key tasks for this part of the book are to explore these changes, to develop an explanation for them and to reflect on their implications for social security provision, the nature of that provision and, most importantly, the implications for those who rely on its provision for their economic well-being and, much more critically, for their ‘belonging and participation’.

Changing the basic structure

Building on and extending the relevant tables in Part One, Table 6.1 provides a clear picture of the current directions of planned change and of the links between those changes and the structure that has developed since 1984.

In addition to the core benefit proposed from 2007, there will be a series of additional payments for housing, disability costs, childcare and so on. These payments are also available under the system of categorical benefits. As a step towards this structure the 2006 Social Security Amendment Bill retains the benefit categories, but creates three streams for beneficiaries, namely work support, work support development and community support.