Emergency Benefit obligations for partners

Your partner must tell us or their Contracted Service Provider (where they have one assigned to them) immediately if they:

• have a change in work situation, eg, starting part-time, casual or full-time work, whether paid or unpaid
• become self-employed/start to run a business
• have changes to their income or financial circumstances
• intend to travel overseas
• start/finish part-time or full-time study
• have changes to personal details, eg:
  • name
  • address
  • contact details
  • bank account number
• have changes to their living situation, eg:
  • marriage or separation
  • starting or ending a civil union
  • starting or ending a de facto relationship with someone of the same or opposite sex
  • change in the number of children supported
  • change in accommodation costs
• are imprisoned/held in custody on remand
• are admitted to or discharged from hospital
• have been granted an overseas pension
• have any other change that may affect your benefit entitlement or rate.

Full-time work obligations

If your partner is in employment for less than 30 hours each week, they are still expected to be available for other work, training or other activities up to a total of 30 hours each week. Your partner must understand that they are still required to accept suitable full-time work if it becomes available.

Your partner will generally be expected to look for full-time work of at least 30 hours a week if they're either:

• 18 or over with no dependent children, or
• 19 or over with no dependent children under 14 (including any child they get Orphan's Benefit or Unsupported Child's Benefit for).

They have the following full-time work obligations to:

• be available for and take reasonable steps to get a suitable job
• take any offer of suitable full-time, part-time or temporary work, or work that is seasonal or subsidised
• attend and take part in any suitable job interviews we ask them to
• take and pass any drug test potential employers or training providers require
• attend and take part in interviews with Work and Income as required
• work with us to plan how they'll find a suitable job
• take part in any other activities that we refer them to, such as attend any job training courses, seminars, work experience or work assessments (including rehabilitation, but not medical treatment) that will improve their work readiness or help them get work
• let us know how they're meeting their work obligations as often as we reasonably require.

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Part-time work obligations

Your partner will generally be expected to look for part-time work of at least 20 hours a week if they're 19 or over and their youngest child is aged 3-13.

They have the following part-time work obligations to:

• be available for and take reasonable steps to get a suitable part-time job
• take any offer of suitable part-time or temporary work, or work that is seasonal or subsidised
• attend and take part in any suitable job interviews we ask them to
• take and pass any drug test potential employers or training providers require
• attend and take part in interviews with us as required
• work with us to plan how they'll find a suitable job
• take part in any other activities that we refer them to, such as attend any job training courses, seminars, work experience or work assessments (including rehabilitation, but not medical treatment) that will improve their work readiness or help them get work
• let us know how they're meeting their work obligations as often as we reasonably require.

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Work preparation obligations

Your partner will be expected to prepare for work if they're 19 or over and their youngest child is under 3 (including any child they get Orphan's or Unsupported Child's Benefit for).

They have the following work preparation obligations to:

• take reasonable steps to prepare and plan for work
• attend and take part in work preparation interviews, where we ask them to
• attend and take part in work related activities or programmes such as a work assessment, a programme or seminar to increase particular skills or enhance motivation where we ask them to
• attend and take part in any other activity that we require them to (including rehabilitation but not medical treatment, voluntary work or activity in the community).

When it has been agreed, your partner has an obligation to attend and participate in a Work Ability Assessment.

When it has been agreed that your partner will work with a Contracted Service Provider, they have an obligation to co-operate with them and to:

• attend and participate in any interview with them
• report to them on how they're meeting their obligations
• complete assessments with them.

Your partner's expected to take reasonable steps to meet social obligations as a parent or a caregiver. These obligations are to help ensure children get a good start.

They must ensure their dependent child(ren) (including any child they get Orphan's or Unsupported Child's Benefit for) are:

• enrolled with a health practitioner or a medical practice that's part of a Primary Health Organisation (PHO)
• enrolled in and attending one of the following from the age of 3 until they start school:
  • an approved early childhood education programme, eg,
    • Kohanga Reo, Punanga Reo, Aoga and other programmes with a language and culture focus
    • parenting and early childhood home education programmes
    • kindergartens
    • preschools
    • childcare centres
    • playcentres
    • home-based care services, or
  • Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu - The Correspondence School, or
  • another approved parenting and early childhood home education programme
• up to date with core Well Child/Tamariki Ora checks if aged under 5, at a Well Child/Tamariki Ora provider, eg:
  
  • Plunket
  • Maori health provider
  • Pacific health provider
• enrolled in and attending school from the age of 5 or 6 (depending on when they start school).

We understand there could be some situations outside of their control that mean they may not be able to meet an obligation right now. For example:

• their child is on a waiting list for a GP, or
• there aren’t any available places in their nearby childcare centre.

They may be required to meet with us to discuss how they're meeting their obligations as a parent or a caregiver.

No children

If your partner is 16 or 17 with no children, they have the following youth activity obligations:

• be enrolled in and satisfactorily undertaking, or be available for a full-time course of secondary school or tertiary education or approved training or work-based learning leading to:
  • NCEA Level 2 or
  • an equivalent qualification or
  • a higher qualification
• when it has been agreed, participate in and complete a budgeting programme
• when it has been agreed, and in the manner required, report to us or their Youth Service Provider (where they have one assigned to them) on how they're meeting the obligations above
• when it has been agreed, attend and participate in regular budgeting discussions with us or their Youth Service Provider (where they have one assigned to them)
• when it has been agreed, attend and participate in any interview with us or their Youth Service Provider (where they have one assigned to them).

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1 or more children

If your partner is 16-19 and has 1 or more dependent children, they have the following activity obligations:

• when it has been agreed, participate in and complete a budgeting programme
• when it has been agreed, participate satisfactorily in an approved parenting education programme
• enrol their child(ren):
  • with a Primary Health Organisation, where local provider capacity allows
  • under the age of 5 years, with a WellChild/Tamariki Ora provider and keep up to date with their visits
• ensure their child(ren) are attending an Early Childhood Education Programme or other suitable childcare, while they're participating in education, training, work-based learning or part-time work
• when it has been agreed, and in the manner reasonably required, report to us or their Youth Service Provider (where they have one assigned to them) on how they're meeting the obligations above
• when it has been agreed, attend and participate in regular budgeting discussions with us or their Youth Service Provider (where they have one assigned to them)
• when it has been agreed, attend and participate in any interview with us or their Youth Service Provider (where they have one assigned to them).

When their youngest dependent child is 12 months or over (or is over 6 months and a suitable place becomes available in a Teen Parent Unit) and there are no special circumstances, or they're not the primary caregiver, they also have the following activity obligations:

• be enrolled in and satisfactorily undertaking, or be available for a full-time course of secondary school or tertiary education or approved training or work-based learning leading to:
  • NCEA Level 2 or
  • an equivalent qualification or
  • a higher qualification.

If there's any reason why your partner can't meet their obligations, talk to us straight away. If they don't meet their obligations without good and sufficient reason, your benefit could be reduced or stopped.

We have a traffic light colour system to help your partner stay on track with their work-related and social obligations. It lets them know where they’re at and what they need to do.

Go to the 'Traffic light system' page to find out what happens if your partner doesn’t meet the following obligations:

• find or prepare for work
• take part in Work Ability Assessments
• take part in activities with our service providers
• social obligations (when taking care of dependent children).

Go to the 'When you don't meet your obligations' page to find out what happens if they don't meet their other obligations.