Migrants left to 'rely on free food' as emergency benefit comes to an end

Tuesday, 31 August 2021

Protesters gather in Auckland's Aotea Square in support of migrant rights.

An end to the emergency benefit for migrants has advocates worried people could be left struggling for food or to pay rent.

The benefit was brought in last December for people on temporary work, student or visitor visas who cannot return home or support themselves. It ended on Tuesday.

Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March, who campaigned for the benefit as co-ordinator for Auckland Action Against Poverty (AAAP) prior to the election, called it “callous” to cut the benefit off during level 4.

More than 40,400 food grants were requested during alert level 4, almost double that of last year.

Minister for Social Development (MSD) Carmel Sepuloni said the support “was always intended to be a short-term solution”.

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One migrant, who did not wish to be named because of concerns about how it could affect her immigration status, said she had been desperately trying to access the benefit before it ended.

Since being granted a new work visa in June, she had struggled to find work and went into lockdown with her savings completely depleted, reliant on her partner for the necessities.

After a series of fruitless calls to MSD, she was still waiting for the paperwork to complete the application on the last day it was available, she said. She was not hopeful she would complete it in time.

She was also not sure whether she would meet the criteria, because she could not prove her plans to leave New Zealand.

“They say [the benefit] is available but they make it so incredibly difficult to get it that it feels like a PR stunt.”

Requiring migrants to provide their travel plans was a “massive disincentive” to people accessing support, Menéndez March said.

Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March says the way that the Government talks about reviewing the Acceptable Standards of Health “entrenches ableism and discrimination”.

“They felt their immigration status would be compromised,” he said.

The migrant hoping for an emergency benefit has lived in New Zealand for four years, the majority of it spent employed and paying taxes.

She said New Zealand treated migrants as “commodities” that were only wanted when they were useful.

“It is sad – we do participate in the country and we did our share.”

Menéndez March is calling for the benefit to be extended and changed so people don’t have to prove their intention to leave.

That hurdle prevented a lot of people who needed support from accessing it, he said.

The emergency benefit came in after an assistance programme funded by Internal Affairs and run by the Red Cross came to an end. The programme supported close to 12,800 people with basic needs like food and accommodation.

During the initial phase of the emergency benefit, from December 2020 to February 2021, 306 migrants received support. When the scheme was set up, it was estimated it would support 5800 people.

The low uptake meant only 4 per cent of what was budgeted was spent.

Menéndez March said that “massive underspend” indicated it did not reach the communities who needed support and signalled the need for it to be extended.

Between 60 and 80 people were getting the benefit when it ended.

President of the Migrant Workers’ Association Anu Kaloti said the low number of recipients was not “because the need wasn’t there”.

During previous lockdowns, the association referred migrants to food banks and Auckland City Mission.

Anu Kaloti says you can see evidence of labour force shortages everywhere.

“It is totally unacceptable for a country like New Zealand to make temporary migrants rely on free food and charity.

“It compromises their mana.”

Sepuloni said: “Ending welfare support for temporary visa holders reflects overall improvements in international travel and economic conditions that have enabled most [of them] to return home or support themselves in New Zealand by finding work.”

It will now fall to migrants’ home nations to support them with financial or repatriation assistance if they cannot get home, as would happen in normal circumstances, Sepuloni said.

This support is still available under level 4 restrictions, which is why lockdown did not affect the planned end date for the benefit.

MSD’s community connectors can provide transitional support to connect migrants with community or other support and foreign missions.

“Immigration New Zealand is also continuing to provide funding through [its] repatriation fund.

“This fund assists people who are in hardship and need help with paying for travel to return to their home country.”