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October 20, 2024 • 1 min

Couple of stories in the news today, one of them and I'll just read you the first line from this story.

"Ministry of Social Development officials warned their minister that using payment cards as a sanction for beneficiaries can be stigmatising and open to exploitation."

What? So either the poor things will stigmatise them, will tarnish their good reputations or those bludgers that will just exploit the hell out of the cards, which is it?

Are they bad? Are they good?

It just seems a very confused piece of advice from the Ministry for Social Development, in my eyes at least.

They're going to flog them off these cards on Facebook, sell them, or are we tarnishing their good reputations by giving them to them in the first place?

When you design a system, a safety net like this, it should be done for the dignity and the simplicity of those who desperately need it.

I think we can all agree with that.

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
A couple of stories in their news today which you

(00:02):
will you will notice one of them, and I'll just
read you the first line from this story. Ministry of
Social Development officials warned their minister that using payment cards
as a sanction for beneficiaries can be stigmatizing and open
to exploitation. What so, either the poor things will stigmatize them,

(00:23):
will tarnish their good reputations, or those bludges that will
just exploit the hell out of the cards. You know,
which is it? Are they bad? Are they good? It
just seems a very confused piece of advice from the
Ministry for Social Development in my eyes. At least you
know they're going to flog them off these cards on.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Facebook, sell them or are we tarnishing their good reputations
by giving them to them in the first place. When
you design a system, a safety net like this, it
should be done for the dignity and the simplicity of
those who desperately need it. I think we can all
agree with that.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
However, you need to have enough hoops and barriers and
checks and balances for those who would exploit the system.
We're good people, we're fair minded people, as kiwis, But
there are dicks among us, who rip systems off, who
don't look after their kids, who don't use the money
for the purpose of feeding their families, etc. Those people
do exist, and treating them with free cash and no

(01:23):
consequences is not going to change that situation, surely not.
Why would you change when everything is just handed to
you on a silver platter, and whether that's cash or
whether it's a card, you're not going to solve that problem.
So you have to It is a balancing act, but
you have to design a system that is there for
people who need it, but also can't be exploited by

(01:46):
those who would seek to do so.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
For more from Early edition with Ryan Bridge, Listen live
to News Talks it'd be from five am weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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