Bennett fields spying, bullying claims

Social Development and Employment Minister Paula Bennett had to field questions in Parliament yesterday over suggestions her department was getting over-zealous in spying on beneficiaries and trying to bully a 78-year-old into work.

Labour's Annette King said she had evidence an elderly woman had been pursued and harassed by Winz to register as a job seeker. Correspondence to the woman had come from the department's senior services office.

Ms Bennett said the ministry looked after 1.1 million people in a year and "it would be fair to say they occasionally get it wrong".

Ms King also cited cases where ministry investigators had sent letters to people unknown to them asking them to give information about their neighbours.

A Hamilton resident had responded by saying it was an "un-Kiwi thing to do".

He said "we do not live in Nazi Germany" and had no intention of spying on his neighbour.

Ms Bennett said in cases where people were acting fraudulently and taking taxpayers' money, then following those cases up was justified.

- NZPA