Every week many thousands of people are turned away from Work & Income offices without the support they desperately need.
In just over two weeks’ time Auckland Action Against Poverty will be holding our fourth Beneficiary Impact:
Tuesday 5 – Wednesday 6 – Thursday 7 April
8.30am – 4.00pm
Pukapuka Community Centre, 24 Canning Cresc, Mangere
Next door to the Mangere Work & Income office.
“We expect this Impact to be our biggest yet,” says AAAP spokesperson Sue Bradford.
“At the last Impact we ran in Mangere in 2014, we helped over 500 people get their full entitlements over the three days.
“This year we are expecting to assist even more people as the level of desperation in Auckland gets deeper by the day, judging by the regular advocacy work we do.
“MSD is putting on over 30 extra staff in a special team to work with us over the week, and AAAP has rallied our own crew of over 100 volunteers.
“We are working closely with MSD’s regional office to ensure the three days are as effective as possible.
“This time around we expect to be able to support over 700 people to achieve what a well-functioning welfare system would be providing in the first place.
Media representatives are welcome to speak with us ahead of time about why we’re doing the Impact and what it involves. Media are also encouraged to come visit us at Mangere during the course of the Impact.
The 2016 Mangere Impact is a significant logistical exercise from the perspectives of both MSD and AAAP. Impacts are also a time when the realities of the harm wrought by an inadequate and stressed welfare system are brought to the fore through the large numbers of people who come to seek our assistance.
I’m on the invalids benefit through no fault of my own & don’t dare ask winz for extra assistance due to their case managers making me feel guilty & how dare I ask for extra assistance, they also talk to you like they are above you & that you are just scum.
Brother Phate you are the beneficiary they are your trusties they work for you,! In the Otara branch they know that Maori`s and our pacific people are Hubble but the winz staff use that against them by belittling them, As for the guy who shot those winz employees i dont agree with what he did but i cant help but wonder what they put him through for him to do what he did how many times he asked for his entitlements and or assistance before he snapped.
Ditto. Plus the stress of dealing with them aggravates my illness so much I hate to think what it’s cost the health system in avoidable hospitalisations. It’s medically safer for me not to go near them and not get the the extra assistance I know I’m entitled to.
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