Why does Auckland Action Against Poverty oppose these sanctions?
What do these sanctions mean for sole mothers and their children?
How many mothers are affected by these sanctions?
Do these sanctions affect sole fathers?
What proportion of sole parents are affected by these sanctions?
How do these sanctions affect Māori and Pasifika?
How many children are affected by these sanctions?
What does this have to do with poverty in Aotearoa?
How do these sanctions get applied?
What do these sanctions have to do with child support?
How else can I support the campaign?
How do these sanctions get applied?
Answer
When a sole mother applies for a benefit from Work & Income they are required to fill out a child support application, and for this child support application to be processed the father’s name must be listed on the child’s birth certificate.
If the father’s name is not listed on the birth certificate, Work & Income can sanction the mother by taking $22 per week per child out of her benefit payments.
After these sanctions have been in place for 13 weeks, Work & Income can then increase these sanctions by $6 per week, making the sanctions $28 per week (per child).