Government doubles Winter Energy Payments for low-income families, over 1m Kiwis to benefit
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced this morning the Winter Energy Payment for 2020 runs for 22 weeks, from 1 May to 1 October, and doubles to $1400 for couples and $900 for single people this year. “The Winter Energy Payment started as part of the Government’s December 2017 Families Package designed to help older New Zealanders and many of our poorest families heat their homes over winter,” Ms Sepuloni said. “When the impact of Covid-19 first hit, the Government set out a $12.1 billion dollar support package for New Zealanders and business. It was within this package that we increased benefits by $25 and doubled the Winter Energy Payment. “A core part of the Government’s response to Covid-19 is to ensure families stay healthy and focused on their wellbeing, which is good for them and good for our health service.” Ms Sepuloni added that those on lower incomes generally spend any extra money on household items that keep their families well, and so doubling the Winter Energy Payment will act as an immediate stimulus in local economies. “The efforts of our team of five million helped to get us in a good position to tackle the virus and we each continue to have a role to play as we begin to reboot our economy for the good of all New Zealanders. “The Government is here to support those who need it.” Ms Sepuloni said about 850,000 people will benefit from the changes with more than one million kept warmer once children and other household members of recipients are included.
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Poll: Is it rude to take a full trolley to self-checkout?
Luckily self-checkout is being pretty common in supermarkets these days and we generally use it to quickly buy a few things without the long lines. But perhaps it's appropriate to head there with your full trolley to skip the lines?
What are your thoughts? Is that rude?
Share in the comments below if this has ever happened to you.
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51.2% Yes!
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45% Nah, it's okay
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3.8% Other - I'll share below!
Q&A: Ask a question about...Online Safety
Continuing with Neighbourly's online Q&A with experts in their field, this week we are tackling online safety with Jandy Fiske from Netsafe.
Jandy Fiske has been with Netsafe for nearly 8 years. Starting on their helpline, she's now Netsafe's Community Engagement Advisor. Jandy says: 'I'm passionate about online safety because I strongly oppose bullying and want to support those affected by it.'
Jandy is passionate about protecting vulnerable communities and is promoting online safety to ensure no one falls prey to online scams. She can answer your questions about any type of online scams, and also about online harm such as online bullying.
↓ Ask your question below now and she'll be online on Wednesday, 11th September to reply to you ↓
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What has a neck but no head, two arms but no hands?
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