Contents
Recoverable Assistance Payment : Contents

Qualifications

To get a Recoverable Assistance Payment a client must:

  • meet an income and asset test
  • have an immediate and essential need
  • have met any hardship obligations that have been applied to them
  • be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident (i.e. not be in New Zealand unlawfully, here on a temporary entry class visa or temporary permit)
  • generally be ordinarily resident in New Zealand and
  • purchase goods and services from a preferred supplier when there is an arrangement in place

Clients must provide proof of their income and assets (for example current payslips and bank statements).

For more information see:

Australian clients

Australian citizens or residents are lawfully allowed in New Zealand, as they are considered to hold a residence class visa.

However, they must still be ordinarily resident in New Zealand and meet all other eligibility criteria for a Recoverable Assistance Payment.

If a client is receiving a benefit, they may be able to receive an Advance Payment of Benefit.

Rental housing

If a client needs help to get or retain rental housing, they may qualify for assistance under the Housing Support Products.

For more information see:

Legislation

  • Recoverable Assistance Programme
  • MSD may refuse or cancel benefit if person not ordinarily resident in New Zealand section 204 Social Security Act 2018
  • Refugee or protected person status section 205 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
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Rental housing for Housing Support Products is housing that is, was or will be occupied by a tenant with a tenancy agreement under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.

This includes private rentals, boarding house tenancies and social housing.

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

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 ...

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: