Welfare plan strikes sour note in south Auckland

Guitar tutor Vernon Katipa's wife gave him the impetus to get a job. Picture / Greg Bowker

Vernon Katipa used to rely on the benefit to pay for his supper, but now he's playing for it instead.

The Otara Music and Arts Centre guitar tutor didn't need the Government to get him off welfare - his wife provided incentive enough.

"She told me to pull my finger out."

But though Mr Katipa earns his money now, he is no fan of Government plans to start investigating so-called "clusters" of co-habiting beneficiaries. He has heard that sort of thing before, from New Zealand First in the late 1990s.

"My first thoughts [on hearing the proposal] went back to Winston, when he was trying to get people off the system."

The Government this week announced that Work and Income plans to take a close look at households where several beneficiaries live together.

The move follows the Kahui twins' killing, and the revelation that up to 12 beneficiaries shared one of the homes in which the twins lived.

"But how do you crack down on something like that?" asked one Otara community leader spoken to by the Herald yesterday.

The man, who did not wish to be named, said people needed to feel "comfortable" about being on a benefit. Then they would work harder to get off it.

"People use the benefit for all sorts of reasons ... only some would say it's the easy way."

Government plans to root out beneficiary "clusters" would only marginalise those people legitimately claiming welfare, he said.

"People need to be assured of the fact they are not going to be hunted down, or stigmatised."

Nor was the man a fan of ex-Labour MP John Tamihere's call to have some welfare payments doled out through Maori welfare organisations.

"We have already got Big Brother, and it's the Government ... we don't want another Big Brother, even if it's a brown brother."

Otara Citizens' Advice Bureau manager Lin Kaiou believed that if there was a problem with beneficiaries pooling their benefits in communal living arrangements, it was not something her team had seen.

One of Ms Kaiou's welfare advocates, Malia Niula, sees about a dozen beneficiaries a week, but had not heard of "clusters", and believes trying to find them is a bad idea.

"If they could offer people jobs instead, that would be good. Investigating people is going to affect good people."

Otahuhu interpreter Papalli Mulitalo also has doubts. "I don't think it will solve the problem. The problem would be solved if the people were employed."

Mr Mulitao said he knew a number of Samoan families forced to live in extended groups, and he blamed housing shortages in south Auckland.

High rents did not help. He said many couples living in a three-bedroom house would pile the youngsters together then rent out the third room, "especially when rents are reaching $300 to $360 a week".

He did not believe the Kahui family's reliance on welfare played a part in the children's deaths.

"I don't agree it was because of the benefit. It is just that they were using the money unwisely ... drinking, smokes and bingo.

"And when they don't have the money, their anger is taken out on the children."