Latest from Work and Income New Zealand

Tough welfare laws loom this year
New laws to make sole parents look for work after their youngest children turn 6 will be phased in over several years, the Govt says.

Maori travel permits 'illegal'
The Minister of Maori Affairs is warning that people using a 'Maori Traveller's Permit' instead of a driver's licence will be prosecuted.

<i>Kerre Woodham:</i> Kick abusers off the dole
If some beneficiaries are too dangerous to be dealt with face-to-face, their benefits should be cancelled says Kerre Woodham.

Investigation over National MP's flyer
The State Services Commission has ordered an investigation into a Labour Party complaint about National MP Paul Quinn.

'Positive signs' despite dole numbers rising, says Bennett
While the number of people on benefits is rising, there are positive signs, says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

Job Ops gives young man vital first job
Derwin Randle has spent two years studying hospitality, tourism and culinary art. But right now he's glad to have a minimum-wage job in a factory.

Dressing to kill doesn't work
Skimpy tops and sexy stockings not suitable for work, says consultant.

<i>John Armstrong:</i> Gaffes paint Goff in bad light
This has been an especially awful week for Phil Goff.

Goff's jobless man owns other property
An unemployed man used by Labour as an example of someone who would benefit from its dole policy owns properties worth hundreds of thousands.

Goff backtracks on dole call
Phil Goff says his call for the dole to be paid to redundant workers, regardless of their partners' incomes, would be a temporary measure for 'low and middle income' New Zealanders.