Our structure
Work and Income is a service of the Ministry of Social Development. We have 11 regional offices, over 140 service centres nationwide and a number of business units providing specialised services.
Service centres
Service centres are a critical part of Work and Income's service delivery and aim to:
- provide financial assistance and employment services to local people and employers
- identify challenges and help find resolutions to issues faced by communities in their area
- provide information at a local level to other agencies, community groups and members of the public
- establish and maintain relationships with key organisations and individuals to provide and increase opportunities for people.
Service centre staff includes:
- case managers
- employment co-ordinators
- work brokers
- specialist roles such as family violence co-ordinators, health and disability co-ordinators and childcare co-ordinators
- assistant service centre managers
- service centre managers.
Case managers
Case managers are at the centre of our service. They provide ongoing case management to people and support them to achieve independence through:
- financial assistance
- work, training and development opportunities
- client plan development
- ongoing in-work support.
Employment co-ordinators
Employment co-ordinators work with sole parents, people with ill health and disabled people to help them move into or retain work. They provide a co-ordination service and link people to appropriate services and/or match them to job opportunities according to their need and suitability.
Employment co-ordinators promote what people can do and focus on people's skills and abilities rather than their lack of recent work experience, ill health or disability.
Work brokers
Work brokers support the delivery of employment services by focusing on the skill and labour needs of employers and matching these needs with clients.
Contact Centres
Contact Centres offer a wide range of essential services to people and employers by:
- phone
- fax
- teletypewriter.
They're often the first point of contact when someone deals with us. Our Contact Centres can put you in touch with any of our services.
Employer Services
Employer Services work with business and industry leaders, major employers, employer representative groups and communities to development labour market solutions that move people into sustainable employment through partnerships and programmes.
You can contact Employer Services on 0800 778 008.
International Services
International Services assesses and pays a range of benefits and pensions, both within New Zealand and overseas. It also liaises with overseas Governments and assists in the negotiation of Social Security Agreements.
Card Centre
The Card Centre issues SuperGold cards for eligible seniors and veterans. They also administer the Community Services Card.
Benefit Control
Benefit Control teams nationwide work to preserve the integrity of the income support system by preventing and detecting benefit fraud.
Benefit Control teams work closely with the National Data Match Centre. The Centre shares data with other government agencies including:
- Customs
- Inland Revenue
- Corrections
- Education
- Housing New Zealand
- Accident Compensation Corporation
- Internal Affairs.
Debt Management
The Debt Management team is responsible for managing Non Current Debt. This is debt owed to the Ministry mainly by people who are no longer in receipt of a benefit or student allowance. The focus of the team is to work with debtors to reduce their level of debt.
Residential Subsidy Unit
The Residential Subsidy Unit administers the Residential Care Subsidy and Residential Support Subsidy throughout New Zealand.
The Residential Care Subsidy team completes the financial means assessments for people entering a rest home or private hospital. The team also reviews supplementary benefits at the time of moving into care and apportions the benefit payment to the rest home or hospital when an application is granted.
The Residential Support Subsidy team reviews benefits when an authorisation is received for people in psychiatric, physical, intellectual or drug and alcohol residential care facilities.
For more information about Residential Care Subsidy or Residential Support Subsidy, contact:
- Residential Care Subsidy: 0800 999 727
- Residential Support Subsidy: 0800 999 779.