Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Social Security Act 2018

Obligations - Beneficiaries’ obligations - Specific obligations: young person granted youth support payment

162: Obligations of young person granted youth support payment

You could also call this:

“Things you must do when you get money from the government as a young person”

If you’re a young person who gets a youth support payment, you have some important things to do:

You need to be in full-time study, training, or work-based learning that leads to NCEA level 2 or something similar. If MSD (Ministry of Social Development) asks, you might need to do a budgeting programme. You also need to go to interviews with MSD staff or people working for MSD when they ask you to.

You have to tell MSD or their helpers how you’re doing with these tasks. You need to work with them to manage how you spend your youth payments. You’ll have regular talks about budgeting and you’ll need to share details about your costs and how you’ve spent your payments.

Within 20 working days of MSD asking, you need to give them or their helpers information about your living costs, bills, and other expenses. They might also ask for other information to help manage your money.

‘Accommodation costs’ means what you pay for a place to live. If you’re boarding, it’s all of what you pay. ‘Service costs’ are things like power and phone bills.

‘Approved training’ is a course that MSD says is okay for finding work. ‘Full-time course’ is defined in some other rules. ‘Work-based learning’ is learning you do as part of a job.

If you don’t do these things without a good reason, you might get in trouble as explained in another part of the law.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6783420.

Topics:
Money and consumer rights > Banking and loans
Work and jobs > Worker rights
Education and learning > School education
Family and relationships > Children and parenting
Government and voting > Government departments
Previous

161: Person who fails to comply with requirement to attend interview is subject to sanction, or

"You might lose money if you miss an interview without a good reason"

Next

163: When education obligation or training obligation begins for young parent, or

"When young parents have to start learning or training after having a baby"

Part 3 Obligations
Beneficiaries’ obligations: Specific obligations: young person granted youth support payment

162Obligations of young person granted youth support payment

  1. A young person who has been granted a youth support payment must do the following things:

  2. be enrolled in and undertake to MSD’s satisfaction, or be available for, a full-time course of secondary instruction or tertiary education or approved training or work-based learning leading to—
    1. NCEA level 2; or
      1. a qualification that in MSD’s opinion is equivalent to NCEA level 2; or
        1. a higher qualification:
        2. as required by MSD, participate in and complete a budgeting programme approved by MSD for the purpose:
          1. as required by MSD, attend and participate in any interview with an MSD employee or a person on behalf of MSD:
            1. as required by a contracted service provider assigned to the person, attend and participate in any interview with that provider:
              1. as required by MSD or a contracted service provider assigned to the person, report to MSD or the service provider on the person’s compliance with the obligations set out in paragraphs (a) to (d):
                1. co-operate with MSD or a contracted service provider assigned to the person, in managing the spending of the young person’s youth payments or young parent payments:
                  1. attend and participate in regular discussions on budgeting with an MSD employee or a contracted service provider:
                    1. at budgeting discussions and otherwise as required by MSD, provide details of—
                      1. the young person’s accommodation costs, service costs, and other lawful debts and liabilities:
                        1. how the young person has spent the young person’s youth support payments and, if applicable, young parent payments:
                        2. give to MSD or to a contracted service provider assigned to the young person (within 20 working days starting on the day after the date on which MSD informs the young person of the requirement) the following information:
                          1. details of the young person’s accommodation costs and service costs and other lawful debts and liabilities; and
                            1. any other information reasonably required by MSD to effect money management under section 341.

                            2. In this section,—

                              accommodation costs, in relation to any young person, has the same meaning as in section 65 except that, in relation to a person who is a boarder or lodger in any premises, it means 100% of the amount paid for board or lodging

                                service costs has the same meaning as in section 65.

                                1. In this section and in sections 166 and 167,—

                                  approved training means an employment-related training course approved by MSD

                                    full-time course has the same meaning as in—

                                    1. regulation 2(1) of the Student Allowances Regulations 1998; or
                                      1. the corresponding provision of replacement regulations made under all or any of sections 645 and 646 and clause 3 of Schedule 9 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

                                      2. In this section and in sections 164 to 167 and 200, work-based learning, in relation to any person, means a course or programme undertaken (or to be undertaken), in the course of or by virtue of his or her employment, that comprises, or includes a component of, practical or on-the-job vocational learning (for example, an industry training programme or apprenticeship).

                                      3. A failure without good and sufficient reason to comply with obligations under this section is subject to sanctions, as provided in Part 5.

                                      Compare
                                      Notes
                                      • Section 162(3) full-time course paragraph (b): amended, on , by section 668 of the Education and Training Act 2020 (2020 No 38).