I believe the NZ welfare system is in desperate need of an overhaul to stamp out the excessive benefit payments made to people ripping off the tax payer. People who absolutely cannot work should be supported but there are more and more beneficiaries lining up in the dole queue, getting a benefit and staying on it for long periods of time becoming a burden on the taxpayer. Please bear in mind that some of the biggest economies do not even compare to our welfare system in terms of access to support which is brilliant. I too have heard beneficiaries refer t winzs payments as "their entitlement" and that it is like pay. If this is the case beneficiaries answer to taxpayers.

Sadly, i have never met anyone on the benefit seriously looking for work. My friend decided to have children (and claim the benefit) rather than working while her partner quit his job and went on benefit because he didn't like working.
This has been my experience growing up. My family was in the rental business so i saw a lot of people committing benefit fraud (i.e. claiming they live by themselves when in fact they are sharing expenses).
I know this would't represent all people getting the benefit, but i haven't met a genuine person yet... Sad really.

Ngawhere has made a good point here. Kiwis on a benefit do tend to go out and do voluntary work. They do so because they want to feel useful and contribute.

Indeed an economic value needs to be place on those receiving a benefit while doing voluntary work. Interesting point here because alot of these orgainisations my not survive without these voluntary workers.

For example, I know a factory worker who has been laid off, been unemployed for two years, but works as a voluntary St Johns paramedic. No pay what so ever.

I do not here stories about unemployed people doing valued work because its not sensational and the media are simply not interested.

I'm now 70 and up until 5 years ago (NZ Super) never received anything I hadn't earned, no inheritances, nor Govt handouts whatsoever. My education was minimal, could have gone to Varsity - then free - but put my head down and arse up and started earning. Now I'm a multi millionaire AND still working. My father had his own business and had set us up in a top end city home and - although he could have avoided it - answered the "call" to fight for King and Country and unfortunately paid the ultimate price. Mum - for the next 5 years until remarried – and then "lost" the right to the War Widows benefit (~4 Pounds a week, $8 for those who can't work that out) sure, bread was 7 1/2 pence a loaf, milk, 4 p/pint and a brace of rabbits 1n9p (17.5c) but we survived on that only because most of our available 1/4 acre was cultivated, producing most of the - boring - food for our table. Sugar then was very cheap but deemed unaffordable so was excluded so just imagine rhubarb and gooseberries - which we grew in great profusion - without any "sweeteners" ugh. But we survived!!! Why can't all our now "benefit" receivers survive on the equivalent my mother survived on? Why? Because they either they don’t know how to, or they don’t want or need to. The “system” provides all of that instead and their next generation expects that ad in finintum.

The Benefit system seems to reward white collars criminals for their crime. For example, that judge is reported to have given a half million $ to resign as his unprofessional dealings don’t look good for the department. Those rich persons are also paid thousands $ every time they meet to discuss how to invest their money and layoff a few more workers. Expenses paid and free lunch provided by the tax payer!

All those teachers who took the time and money to acquire qualifications are put out of work by National’s policies to cut funding for Kohanga Reo, Education, Special Education, Healthcare, and so on.

And on the contrary, I haven’t come across anyone on a benefit who doesn’t want to work. Some of them do voluntary work while enduring some sort of ailment but still looking. It is an invaluable contribution to society more than work. These are unsung heroes making up for social inadequacies of capitalism.
So if you want to put your money where your mouth is, would you offer an unemployed person that you know who is a bludger a job? If not then you are just another right wing reactionary joining the chorus of benefit bashers. And your tune against 6 percent rate of unemployment is way off the beat!