REVEALED: WINZ’s $236 Million Bond Grant Black Hole

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that through Work and Income NZ, the Ministry of Social Development approved 155,103 rental bond grants worth $236,121,897 since 2023, but cannot report the total debt repaid.

MSD refused to provide repayment and write-off data, saying it would require substantial manual collation from individual client files.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead, Rhys Hurley, said:

“WINZ has handed out nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in recoverable bond assistance, paid for by taxpayers, yet doesn't have a system of tracking whether taxpayers got it back."

"Just like the $38,512,555.69 in business start up funding, the Ministry for Social Development only holds this information in individual client files."

"These grants are not meant to be free money. Agencies handing out taxpayer funds should be tracking whether it actually comes back. That's Accounting 101."

“Minister Louise Upston needs to ask how many millions in benefit schemes are handed out without proper central tracking and require this information to be proactively published from now on.”