Stratford Work and Income Service Centre temporarily closed for building work

The Stratford Work and Income Service Centre is temporarily closed. Photo / file

An upgrade to the Stratford Work and Income Service Centre on Miranda St means it is closed to the public until the middle of July.

Work is also due to begin at the Hāwera Work and Income Service Centre later this month.

At each site, the changes will see a more welcoming office, clients will have more privacy when they talk with a case manager and there will be added security for clients, visitors and staff, says Taranaki King Country Whanganui MSD regional commissioner Gloria Campbell

She says the changes have been rolled out in other parts of the country, including in Waitara and Taihape.

"At these two sites, staff are working in different ways and we are pleased with the increased flexibility and freshening up of our centres. It's great to see this investment in the regions."

To ensure the work is completed on time, both the Stratford and Hāwera service centres will temporarily close, but at different times.

Stratford Service Centre in Miranda St closed on Monday, June 28 with plans for it to reopen to the public on Tuesday, July 13.

The Hāwera Service Centre in Union St will be temporarily closed from Monday, July 19, reopening on Tuesday, August 10.

Gloria Campbell says people will continue to receive help.

"The centre is closed but all services continue regardless. We found during lockdown that many people adjusted to accessing our services remotely and options such as the 0800 number and MyMSD give them greater flexibility."

Need to know:
People can receive help and stay in touch by:
• Going to the Work and Income website
• Logging into MyMSD
• Calling 0800 559 009 for Work and Income
• Calling 0800 552 002 for Senior Services