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ONE
WOMAN
One
woman ... that is how it all started ... one woman who was
totally devastated when she received a phone call from Work and Income NZ
telling her that, at the 11th hour, she was no longer
eligible for the TIA as her application had not been officially
approved until after 28th May (the Government’s
cut-off date for applications – a policy that was quietly and
quickly added to the legislation and not announced in the
Budget) even though she had approval in principle in
April.
This
caused her immense turmoil because she had gone through all the
avenues with Work and Income NZ to identify what would be the best way forward
for her in terms of future employment. Together, she and her
Work and Income NZ case manager identified that undertaking study was her best
option. She chose nursing as her avenue of study and eventual
career.
Upon
applying to enrol to do the study, and having in principle
approval to receive the TIA (to cover the added costs of
childcare that her budget could not otherwise cover), this woman
researched the options for her and her family so that she could
ensure her success. She moved house to a place near a school
that offered before and after school care, paying a higher rent
– a sacrifice she was willing to make even though it made her
budget very, very tight. She uprooted her children from an area
they had lived in for the past 8 years so that she knew they
would be taken care of while she was at her place of learning.
She applied for a Student Loan and the $1000 Study Costs
allowance from Study Link. She invested all of her being into
this new future.
She
was totally devastated when she received the news of her
ineligibility for the TIA and went onto the Trade Me message
board and asked for people to support her in a fight to lobby
government to reinstate full access to the TIA – a small but
motivated group are helping to coordinate and run this campaign.
We
are campaigning not only for her, but for all beneficiaries who
choose and are motivated to undertake higher level study to gain
relevant, marketable and employable skills.
We
all come from different backgrounds but are passionate about
education and the opportunities education brings. Research
(including recent MSD research) has proven that education is the
single most appropriate way to get off of the welfare system and
into a productive, self-sufficient future.
This
issue is NOT about money. This issue is not about giving
beneficiaries hand outs.
This
issue is quite simply about the rights of a marginalised section
of society to have access to a small amount of additional
funding that WILL help them upskill and move into paid
employment.
This
issue is about giving them a HAND UP not a hand out!
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