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Work homepage
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Overview
Find out what services we can offer to help you find work and when you start a new job.
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Looking for work
We have jobs available now in various industries and you can search on our job websites.
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Help with your job search
From advice on making a plan, to tips on where to look and following up leads.
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Training and experience
Our programmes can help you get ready for work with training and work experience.
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Job Connect on Facebook
Find out how we can help you get ready to work, find work, and support available while you're working.
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CVs and cover letters
We’ve got great templates and advice for writing your CV or cover letter, and filling out job applications.
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Help with work costs
Get help to pay for the things you need to start work
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Job support and advice
Get all the support and advice you need to stay in work.
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Health and disability
If you want to work, we can support you to find the right job for you.
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Start your own business
We can help you get your business up and running.
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Job interviews
Get advice about how to prepare for and deliver a great interview.
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Help for 16-19 year olds
We’ve got extra support for young people to get ready for work and find a job.
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Benefits and payments homepage
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Overview
Take a look at the range of benefits and payments we have available.
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Not working
Redundancy, health condition or disability or another reason you can’t work
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Living expenses
Food, school costs, power, accommodation or other living expenses you need help with
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Relationship changes
You’ve had a relationship break-up, family breakdown or violent relationship end
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Health and Disability
Counselling, prescription and GP costs, medical alarms and other costs we can help with
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Seniors
Travelling overseas, how to apply, payment rates and dates, overseas pensions, income and other info for Seniors
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Caring
Caring for someone else’s child or someone with a health condition, injury or disability
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Urgent or unexpected costs
Dental, glasses, car repairs, fridge, washing machine, funeral or other urgent costs you need help with
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Children
Childcare, school uniforms, stationery, having a baby and other costs if you have children
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Moving to New Zealand
Payments you can get from us, settling into NZ, overseas pensions and more.
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16-19 year olds
Education, training, work and benefit help for 16-19 year olds
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Benefits and forms
A-Z list of benefits, forms, benefit rates
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On a benefit homepage
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Overview
Check out what you need to do when you're getting a benefit or other payment from us.
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Something's changed
Address, contact details, overseas travel, childcare, relationship or anything else that’s changed.
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Income
Declare income and income deduction tables
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Childcare
Change in your childcare situation, continue childcare payments, cohort entry schools and other childcare information
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Going overseas
Going on holiday or going to live overseas
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Re-apply
Re-apply for Jobseeker Support, Sole Parent Support, Temporary Additional Support and more
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Payments
Check or stop your payments, payment cards and other information
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Debt
Check your debt, repayments and other debt information
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Rights and responsibilities
Our commitment to you, obligations, complaints, benefit fraud and more
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Housing homepage
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Overview
Find out how we can help you with housing.
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Nowhere to stay
Get help if you have nowhere to stay right now.
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Find a house
Find out where to look for private housing, or apply for public (social) housing.
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Living in your home
Get help with accommodation costs, and advice on any housing issues and public housing tenancies.
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Move house
Find out how we can help if you’re moving house.
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Flexi-wage for self-employment
Flexi-wage is one of the ways we're supporting more New Zealanders into work. We can help you start your own business and help with costs while you get started.
Who can get it
To get Flexi-wage for self-employment there's criteria that you need to meet, and criteria your intended business needs to meet.
Criteria you need to meet:
You may be able to get Flexi-wage for self-employment if you're:
- out of work, and
- 18 years or older and not able to get NZ Super, and
- having difficulty getting or keeping a job (for example you might have barriers to finding a job because you need education and training, or your current job may be at risk), and
- ordinarily resident in New Zealand and you're either:
- have applied to be recognised as a refugee or protected person and are waiting on the outcome, or
- have applied for a residence class visa and are compelled to stay in New Zealand because of unforeseen circumstances.
- a New Zealand citizen, or
- a resident with a residence class visa, or
- recognised as a refugee or protected person, or
- have a temporary visa that allows you to work in New Zealand and either:
Criteria your business needs to meet:
You need to be:
- interested in starting a new business, or
- in the early stages of developing a business and you're not able to be self-sufficient.
You also need a business plan. If you don't have one we can talk with you about your business idea and how to create a plan.
We need to make sure that your business idea is viable before we can consider any assistance. We may be able to put you in touch with a business expert to help progress your ideas. Business.govt.nz also has information about how to create a business plan:
Who can't get it
You can't get Flexi-wage for self-employment if you're:
- re-starting a business that you've owned before, or
- already running an established business that is struggling financially, or
- currently bankrupt.
What you can get
You can get up to $600 a week for up to 28 weeks, totalling $16,800.
You can use this money towards the costs of setting your business up, for example paying for equipment, or to pay your living costs while your business is still in its early stages.
Other help available:
You may be able to get up to $5,000 to help you develop a business plan and/or train in business skills, advice and project reports.
You may also be able to get help with essential start up costs, eg furniture or the first lot of stock.
How to find out more
If you want to find out more about Flexi-Wage for self-employment, complete this form and we'll get in touch with you.
We'll aim to contact you within 5 working days.
What happens next
We'll contact you to talk about your business idea, your needs and what type of help we may be able to offer. If you have a business plan, you'll need to share this with us.
We'll talk with you about:
- your business idea
- how to create a business plan, or help you develop one
- a Business Training and Advice Grant and how this may be able to help you.
We'll send your business plan to be independently assessed, to make sure the business is potentially viable. We'll let you know the outcome, and if it's approved we'll send you a Flexi-wage Self-Employment contract . You'll need to complete the contract and email it back to us along with evidence of your bank account number.
Once the contract has been processed your payments will start.
If you get the subsidy
We'll:
- contact you regularly to see how things are going
- send you four-weekly claim forms for the Flexi-wage subsidy over the period of the contract.
We'll make sure you know how to make a claim every four weeks.
Mid-project financial report
You'll need to provide a mid-project financial report within the first 12-20 weeks. The report needs to outline things like:
- productivity levels (for example, the amount of work or items manufactured)
- actual cash flow
- a comparison of performance against the original business plan
- cash flow expectations for at least the next 6 months.
We'll let you know when we need this and who to send it to. The report will be reviewed by an independent person, and we'll let you know the outcome of this review.