Tirikatene Rino: Social Assistance (Living Alone Payments) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Tirikatene Rino: Social Assistance (Living Alone Payments) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 20 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8782. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
RINO TIRIKATENE (Labour—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 I am pleased to make a short contribution in the Committee stage of the Social Assistance (Living Alone Payments) Amendment Bill. As my colleagues have already stated we support this bill. It is a very sensible bill and it does address a lot of some of the inconvenient processes that many of our kaumatua and kuia and superannuitants around the country have had to face in terms of having to make separate applications for living alone payments. Goodness knows how difficult that is in terms of them not only getting through their weekly budgets but also having to navigate their way through all the different processes and applications that they have to do to get a little bit of putea. 
So we do support this bill. It ensures that the single superannuitants and veterans pensioners who are living alone do not have to make that separate application to get their full entitlement. We support it because it improves the lives of older New Zealanders and it reduces their requirement to as I have said make all these additional applications to receive those extra living alone payments. We do acknowledge the Government for reducing the burden of compliance on single superannuitants. It is a good measure which improves the lives of older New Zealanders who indeed as with many New Zealanders out there are finding it very tough. 
The Social Services Committee had the chance to hear submissions and has recommended some changes. One change has been in regard to the unfortunate situation where a spouse or partner has passed on prior to the commencement of the Act but within the time frames in which applications are to be made. It is very commendable to see that spouses in that situation will not have to be impacted on in terms of having to qualify for the payment because of arbitrary time frames and commencement dates. It is good to see that some flexibility has been given and some fairness applied to those situations so that the full entitlement to the living alone payment can apply from the date of the death of that spouse prior to the commencement of the Act. 
I would also like to speak in support of my colleague Jacinda Ardern and her amendment in relation to Part 1. It relates to raising the age. Notwithstanding the comments from the Minister in the chair the Associate Minister for Social Development Chester Borrows I know that the Government will not be supporting this amendment. We do think that it is necessary to align this living alone payment with the harmonising of the student allowance regime because there are many situations where kaumatua and kuia around the country are looking after their mokos and when those mokos get to 18 it does not just kick in. Obviously the Government is putting a cut-off date at 18 but there are situations—and I am thinking of those who may be disabled or other situations around their tertiary education—where that does put an extra burden on their koro or kuia or taua and paua as we call them in the South Island. So I do encourage and recommend that we support that amendment in the name of Jacinda Ardern. It lifts the age to 25 which does capture all of those situations and makes sure that the living alone payment is available for kaumatua and kuia in that situation. That completes my contribution on this part.