40979 (2026). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister for Social Development and Employment

Written Question

Published date: 27 Sep 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	40979 (2026)
Question asked:	15 Sep 2026
Member asking:	Ricardo Menéndez March
Portfolio:	Minister for Social Development and Employment
Minister replying:	Hon Louise Upston
Answer received:	22 Sep 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_40979_2026
Document guid:	31b259ce-ffd0-4db2-b804-57544c860645

40979 (2026). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Did the Minister seek advice or briefing on the possible impact of being hungry, into debt, or homeless of sick, injured, or disabled New Zealanders who lost their main source of income due to cancellations or suspensions of their supplementary assistance due to MSD processing delays, and if so, when did she first seek said advice or briefing?

Hon Louise Upston: No. I expected the Ministry of Social Development (the Ministry) to undertake a review to understand how the Winter Energy Payment issue occurred, why it was not detected and addressed earlier, and how many people were affected. I also expected the review to consider related processing delays associated with the Confirming Your Circumstances review process. The Ministry acted promptly to identify affected clients, restore impacted entitlements, and pay arrears where required.