Mahuta NanaiaRATES REBATE (STATUTORY DECLARATIONS) AMENDMENT BILLSecond ReadingHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Local Government): I move That the Rates Rebate (Statutory Declarations) Amendment Bill be now read a second time. The bill will make it easier for low-income ratepayers to apply to the Rates Rebate Scheme. It does this by removing the need for applicants to sign the application form in front of a witness who must be a council officer justice of the peace or other authorised person. Applicants will still be required to verify that information on their application form and make sure that it is accurate but they will be able to do this in a much more accessible way. This may seem like a small change but the benefits are important to those who need help paying their rates. Currently applicants need to attend in person to have their signature witnessed. This can be difficult especially for those with a physical disability or mobility issues. In the last rating year 79 percent of applicants were superannuitants a group more likely to be experiencing declining mobility or a physical disability. In fact the latest disability survey showed that 49 percent of this group had a physical disability of some sort. Applicants also pay for the cost of travelling to an authorised person to complete their applications. These costs can be significant particularly for those people living in rural communities. For some applicants particularly those in smaller communities needing to discuss their application form with council officers in public can be a significant source of stress and embarrassment. Some councils have staff that carry out home visits for those applicants for whom travelling would cause too much physical or emotional stress. I'd encourage this approach across the council sector. The bill will overcome these difficulties and save the costs faced by applicants and councils from the statutory declaration requirement in the current process. Removing the need to be physically present also creates the opportunity for an online application process should one be become available in the future. The bill also makes a change that will give councils the opportunity to design their own application forms if they think this will benefit their community. These forms will need to be approved by the Secretary for Local Government to ensure they comply with the statutory requirements. For those councils who do not want to design their own application forms a standard application form will continue to be supplied by the Department of Internal Affairs. Submitters to the select committee on the bill supported this change. This change was needed before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. However New Zealand's response to the pandemic has also shown how important it is that people can access Government services remotely particularly those people who are more vulnerable to illness. During the COVID-19 response the Government made a temporary modification to the statutory declaration process so that it can be completed remotely. This bill will ensure that vulnerable people will still be able to access the Rates Rebate Scheme without needing to attend a public office in person and allow people to verify their information remotely. This will also provide ongoing benefit to those who are ill for whatever reason and at home and cannot get to the council offices. The Rates Rebate Scheme provides important support to ratepayers on low and fixed incomes. In the last rating year just over 300000 people received a rebate at an average amount of $582 and that makes a big difference. The bill is just one of a number of changes the Government has made to improve the Rates Rebate Scheme. Under changes to the Act begun by my colleague the Hon Ruth Dyson residents of retirement villages can now access the Rates Rebate Scheme like other households. The Local Government Regulatory Systems Amendment Act passed into law in March last year ensures that those receiving a winter energy payment will not have this payment included in their income for the purposes of calculating a rates rebate. This change ensures the winter energy payment is used for its intended purpose. I want to thank the Social Services and Community Committee for its work considering the bill. The select committee recommends one change to the bill and that's to change the commencement date to 1 July 2020. This means the bill will now come into force at the beginning of the next rating year and I support the change. I note the select committee also recommends that the Secretary for Local Government consider requiring applicants to provide their IRD number on their application forms. This would enable officials to undertake income data-matching. It would provide officials with another tool to ensure the income information provided on application forms is accurate. I support the select committee's intent to ensure the application process is secure and that accurate information is being provided; however both the select committee and my officials have advised that a number of operational changes are needed before data matching could happen. I'd like to thank those that took the time to submit on the bill. I was pleased to see several submissions from the local government sector who all supported the intent of the bill and noted that it would reduce the costs of administering the Rates Rebate Scheme. A number of submitters made clear the problems the statutory declaration requirement can cause for applicants. The citizens advice bureau noted how applicants can struggle to find an authorised person to complete their statutory declaration. Submitters also made it clear that the Rates Rebate Scheme provides important support to those ratepayers that are on low or fixed incomes and are struggling to pay their rates. Some submitters noted that while the bill enables an online application process in the future not everyone will want to apply online. This is an important point and the intent is that the application process will remain accessible for all who wish to apply. This means a paper channel should continue to be maintained in an online application process if an online application process is introduced in the future.In conclusion the bill will make it easier for low-income ratepayers to access the support they are entitled to. It will also reduce the costs for local councils administering the Rates Rebate Scheme. This is just one of a number of changes the Government has made to improve the Rates Rebate Scheme as I've mentioned. We've also ensured that those living in retirement villages can access the scheme and that people aren't unfairly penalised for receiving a winter energy payment. The bill gives local councils the flexibility to design their own application form should they wish and maintain a paper application process. Finally the change will enable an online application process to be implemented in the future should councils wish that to be the case. So I commend the bill to the House.