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Work homepage
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Overview
Find out what services we can offer to help you find work and when you start a new job.
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Looking for work
We have jobs available now in various industries and you can search on our job websites.
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Help with your job search
From advice on making a plan, to tips on where to look and following up leads.
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Training and experience
Our programmes can help you get ready for work with training and work experience.
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Job Connect on Facebook
Find out how we can help you get ready to work, find work, and support available while you're working.
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CVs and cover letters
We’ve got great templates and advice for writing your CV or cover letter, and filling out job applications.
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Help with work costs
Get help to pay for the things you need to start work
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Job support and advice
Get all the support and advice you need to stay in work.
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Health and disability
If you want to work, we can support you to find the right job for you.
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Start your own business
We can help you get your business up and running.
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Job interviews
Get advice about how to prepare for and deliver a great interview.
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Help for 16-19 year olds
We’ve got extra support for young people to get ready for work and find a job.
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Benefits and payments homepage
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Overview
Take a look at the range of benefits and payments we have available.
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Not working
Redundancy, health condition or disability or another reason you can’t work
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Living expenses
Food, school costs, power, accommodation or other living expenses you need help with
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Relationship changes
You’ve had a relationship break-up, family breakdown or violent relationship end
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Health and Disability
Counselling, prescription and GP costs, medical alarms and other costs we can help with
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Seniors
Travelling overseas, how to apply, payment rates and dates, overseas pensions, income and other info for Seniors
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Caring
Caring for someone else’s child or someone with a health condition, injury or disability
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Urgent or unexpected costs
Dental, glasses, car repairs, fridge, washing machine, funeral or other urgent costs you need help with
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Children
Childcare, school uniforms, stationery, having a baby and other costs if you have children
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Moving to New Zealand
Payments you can get from us, settling into NZ, overseas pensions and more.
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16-19 year olds
Education, training, work and benefit help for 16-19 year olds
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Benefits and forms
A-Z list of benefits, forms, benefit rates
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On a benefit homepage
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Overview
Check out what you need to do when you're getting a benefit or other payment from us.
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Something's changed
Address, contact details, overseas travel, childcare, relationship or anything else that’s changed.
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Income
Declare income and income deduction tables
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Childcare
Change in your childcare situation, continue childcare payments, cohort entry schools and other childcare information
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Going overseas
Going on holiday or going to live overseas
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Re-apply
Re-apply for Jobseeker Support, Sole Parent Support, Temporary Additional Support and more
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Payments
Check or stop your payments, payment cards and other information
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Debt
Check your debt, repayments and other debt information
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Rights and responsibilities
Our commitment to you, obligations, complaints, benefit fraud and more
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Housing homepage
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Overview
Find out how we can help you with housing.
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Nowhere to stay
Get help if you have nowhere to stay right now.
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Find a house
Find out where to look for private housing, or apply for public (social) housing.
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Living in your home
Get help with accommodation costs, and advice on any housing issues and public housing tenancies.
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Move house
Find out how we can help if you’re moving house.
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Your obligations for COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme
Your obligations when you receive the COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme and under employment law.
Your obligations and repayment responsibilities are in the declaration you agreed to when you applied.
Your obligations for the use of the payment are the same, regardless of which declaration you agreed to and when you applied.
Declarations
This payment used to be called 'COVID-19 Essential Workers Leave Support'.
If you applied when it was:
- 'Essential Workers Leave Support', the criteria in the declaration will have only included essential businesses.
- 'COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme', the criteria in the declaration will have included all businesses returning to work.
Obligations for the current Leave Support Scheme
These are the obligations you have if you applied for the Leave Support Scheme on or after 12.01am on 15 August 2023, but no later than 11.59pm on 10 October 2023.
There are some differences between these obligations and the obligations in previous declarations before 15 August 2023. It is important that you meet the obligations in the declaration relevant to your application.
Paying your employees
You must pay your employees any amount required by the employment agreement and employment legislation. The Leave Support Scheme requirements do not remove or reduce this obligation.
You must use your best efforts to pay the employee named in your application their normal wages, or at least 80% of their usual pay. If that isn't possible, you need to pay at least the Leave Support Scheme payment rate (ie full-time or part-time).
If you can't pay your employees their usual wages, then any reduction in wages or agreed hours of work requires good faith consultation and written agreement in line with existing employment law – you can’t change an employment agreement without the written agreement of your employee
If your employee's usual wages are less than the Leave Support Scheme, you must pay them at least their usual wages. Any difference should be used for the wages of other affected staff - the Leave Support Scheme is designed to keep your employees connected to you.
If you are applying for the Leave Support Scheme based on your employee’s average hours there are further obligations that apply. It is important you read the declaration to understand what this means for you.
Visit the Employment NZ website for information about employment law.
Retaining your employees
You must keep any employees you get the Leave Support Scheme for in their jobs for the period of the payment, unless the employee voluntarily leaves their job.
Retaining evidence
You need to prepare and retain evidence that shows your employees (or you, if you are self-employed) were self-isolating for at least 4 consecutive days because could not work from home and also meet the eligibility criteria.
Evidence can include things like:
- employee leave records (to show employees were not working at this time)
- communications to customers from someone who is self-employed to advise they are self-isolating and aren’t operating their business at this time
- notifications from an official source (eg Ministry of Health) that a self-employed person was required to self-isolate
- other information that a self-employed person has available to show they were advised to self-isolate (eg medical certificate from their GP).
We may ask to see this evidence.
Repaying money you’re not entitled to
If your employee's usual wages are less than the Leave Support Scheme, you must pay them their usual wages. Any difference should be used for the wages of other affected staff - the Leave Support Scheme is designed to keep your employees connected to you. If you have no other affected staff you’ll need to repay the surplus to us.
If you’re self-employed and the income you get from your business is less than the subsidy amount you received, you’ll need to repay the surplus to us.
Follow employment law
Regular employment law applies to all employment relationships - regardless of the circumstances that we find ourselves in. This includes anything that has been agreed to in an employment agreement.
For information on your obligations under employment law, contact Employment NZ on 0800 20 90 20 or visit their website. For example, you might have questions about:
- employer contributions to KiwiSaver
- holiday pay
- annual leave.