Contents
Home Help : Contents

Qualifications

To qualify for Home Help assistance, a client must:

  • have had a multiple birth or adopted 2 or more children from the same pregnancy or
  • have a domestic emergency or
  • need domestic support and
  • be a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder (i.e. not be in New Zealand unlawfully, or here on a temporary entry class visa) or
  • generally be ordinarily resident in New Zealand and
  • hold a current Community Services Card or their partner holds a current Community Services Card (except for multiple birth cases) and
  • meet a cash asset test (except for multiple birth cases)

Age, ill health or infirmity related care

Home Help is not paid for needs relating to age, ill health or infirmity.

Clients with these needs may be able to get home support from Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. See:

Multiple births

Clients applying for Home Help because of a multiple birth do not need to have a current Community Services Card or meet an asset test.

For more information see:

Legislation

  • Home help assistance: eligibility clauses 6-8 Home Help Programme
  • MSD may refuse or cancel benefit if person not ordinarily resident in New Zealand section 204 Social Security Act 2018
  • General limitation on receiving benefit: persons unlawfully resident or present in New Zealand and persons holding temporary entry class visa section 19 Social Security Act 2018
Top

A person can be a New Zealand citizen by either:

For New Zealand citizenship, New Zealand includes the self-governing states of:

Citizenship is granted by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Note people born in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, or Tokelau may not automatically be New Zealand citizens. To be considered a New Zealand citizen from birth, a person born on or after 1 January 2006 must have:

A residence class visa means a:

A residence class visa allows people to live in New Zealand indefinitely. The visa also lets people work and study in New Zealand. There are different travel conditions based on the type of residence class visa.

Residence class visas are granted by Immigration New Zealand.

For the purpose of deciding if a person meets the residence criteria for financial assistance from MSD, people who ...

Temporary entry class visas are issued to people who have arrived in New Zealand legally, but are only allowed to stay for a temporary period for the duration and purposes indicated on the visa.

A temporary entry class visa means:

Legislation