The introduction of DPB (Domestic purposes Benefit)

In 1973 legislation was passed introducing the beginning of the Domestic Purpose Benefit. This benefit was intended to give mothers who had lost their husbands, or who were not being financially supported by their husband’s, security to raise their children. Men were also allowed to claim this benefit if they were raising one or more children independently. Women who lived alone and cared for incapacitated relatives could also claim this benefit (“1973 DPB Legislation introduced”n.d.).

The stereo typed family of mum and dad and the kids was very much changing around this time, bringing with it the need for such a benefit. However this came with much criticism from some suggesting that it was encouraging beneficiaries to become complacent about returning to the workforce. Others argued that it was the right of the mother to stay home and raise their children without having the help of financial support of the men (“1973 DPB Legislation introduced”n.d.).

The Government has put together figures estimating that only a third of all domestic purposes beneficiaries have been on the benefit since teenagers. This figure has been challenged by writer Simon Collins (2010) as incorrect.Collins maintains that “responding to an official Information Act request, Ministry head Peter Hughes to economist Susan St Jhon that 52 per cent of mothers on the DPB and aged 29 or under at the end of last year first received the DPB or EMA as teenagers” (Collins, 2010).

There have been accounts of people staying on the DPB for prolonged amounts of time. One women was reported to of been on the Domestic Purposes Benefit for almost 30 years (Brennan-Tupara, 2011). She apparently is one of a long list of beneficiaries that have been receiving the benefit for long term. Statistics that were taken by Brennan- Tupara (2011) from the Ministry of Social Development reveal that 1647 people have been on the benefit for longer than 15 years. When we looked at the beginning of the blog and saw the reasons for the introduction of the Domestic Purposes Benefit being introduced and then look forward 40 years to now, I  cannot help wonder if some are taking advantage of the social welfare system. The changes that the Ministry of Social development are starting to implement, such as the compulsory 15 hours a week ECE participation for children of beneficiaries and the compulsory work test scheme (this is where beneficiaries are tested for their eligibility to be able to go out to the work force) continue to have an effect on the numbers of people on the benefit?It will be interesting to look at these things more closely and I suppose keeping an open mind. It is easy for people to put beneficiaries in a one size fits all case, but is really that simple?

 Important statistics about DPB

• There were 97,000 New Zealanders on DPB for sole parents in February 2010. This is up from 90,000 in February 2009 - an increase of 8 per cent.
• 43,000 sole parents on DPB have a child aged six and over. Over half had one child and 30 per cent had two children.
• Māori make up 38 per cent of DPB sole parents who will be work-tested, while Pacific Island people make up 8 per cent of this group.
• 12,500 DPB who will be work-tested have recent work experience or have completed training.
• New Zealand is one of the few countries in the OECD to have no work expectations for sole parents with children aged under 18 years.
• 15 per cent of sole parents on DPB have been in some paid work during the last year.
• Statistics show the number of sole mothers who work full-time has increased significantly in the last 15 years.
• Sole mother full-time employment rates increased rapidly when work tests were previously introduced for people receiving DPB (1997-2003). (Ministry of Social Development n.d.).

 

 

 

 

 

References

Brennan-Tupara, 2011 Single mum on DPB for decades. Stuff. Co.nz Retrieved from http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5652215/Single-mum-on-DPB-   for-decades

 Collins, S. (2010). Many mums on benefit since teens. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved from. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10664607

 New Zealand History online [N.Z H], 1973 DPB Legislation introduced. Retrieved from

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/page/legislation-introduce-dpb

Ministry of Social Development Domestic Purposes benefit fact sheet future progress (n.d) Retrieved from http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/newsroom/factsheets/future-focus/domestic-purposes-benefit.html#ImportantstatisticsaboutDPB6

Three News, 2013. Beneficiary numbers spike in December quarter. Retrieved from

Beneficiary numbers spike in Dec quarter - Story - Politics - 3 News http://www.3news.co.nz/Beneficiary-numbers-spike-in-Dec-quarter/tabid/1607/articleID/283422/Default.aspx#ixzz2QUCi8qsH