27861 (2025). Kahurangi Carter to the Minister for Disability Issues

27861 (2025). Kahurangi Carter to the Minister for Disability Issues: What advice, if any, has she received on how disabled people will be impacted by the Government's new "non-financial" sanctions?

Hon Louise Upston: I have been advised the Ministry of Social Development that non-financial sanctions will be less likely to impact disabled clients than the rest of the benefit population. Disabled clients who have a current deferral of, or exemptions from work obligations, or have been assessed as not having capacity to work, will not be sanctioned, whether with a non-financial or financial sanction, for failing to prepare for or look for work. If applied, a non-financial sanction will allow sanctioned clients to continue receiving their full rate of benefit payment, instead of receiving a 50 percent reduction under a financial sanction for a first obligation failure. There will also be no impact on clients’ supplementary assistance, for example, Disability Allowance or Accommodation Supplement. The Ministry provided information about the sanctions directly to the disability community, to ensure the impacts of these changes were fully understood.