Other support

The Covid-19 Income Relief Payment (CIRP) 

The Government has recently announced support for those who have lost work between 1 March and 30 October 2020 due to the economic impact of Covid-19. The CIRP is available from the 8 June, for those domestic students who have lost 15 hours or more of paid work.

The CIRP is a non-taxable grant of $250 or $490 a week, depending on the hours of work lost, for a period of up to 12 weeks.

Applications can be made online from the 8 June.

For more information, including eligibility, please read the CIRP Fact Sheet or visit the Work and Income website.

Wage subsidy

All students entitled to work in New Zealand (including international students) and who are employed by a New Zealand employer can be covered by the wage subsidy. The subsidy covers employees who are working part-time, or on a casual or contract basis. (Please note that as the subsidy is paid to employers, the subsidy does not cover international students who were not in employment prior to Covid-19).

More information on the policy can be found on the Work and Income website.

StudyLink

For those receiving government support, if you no longer receive an income this may change the level of Student Allowance that is available to you. You should log into MyStudyLink and update your details to have your entitlement reassessed.

StudyLink may also be able to provide additional support at this time of need, please visit the StudyLink website.

Groceries

Auckland Emergency Management is providing one-off welfare packages for individuals in Auckland struggling to access basic household supplies due to job losses or general hardship. Packages include items such as pasta and rice, tinned vegetables and meats and basic toiletries.

To have your eligibility assessed for this service call 0800 22 22 96, lines will be open between 7am and 7pm, 7 days a week. Packages will be delivered by courier to residential addresses.

For more information, check out the Auckland Emergency Management Welfare FAQs.

Broadband connection

Skinny Jump provide a low-cost prepaid broadband service for eligible Kiwi homes. 30GB of broadband is available for just $5.

To find out if the service is available at your home address, visit the Skinny website.

Emergency Benefit for international students 

People on temporary work, student or visitor visas who can't return home and can't support themselves due to the impacts of COVID-19 may be eligable for the Emergency Benefit.

Find out more on the Ministry of Education website. 

MoneyTalks is a free helpline available to provide free, confidential advice. Their financial mentors can:

• Understand your financial situation
• Organise your debt 
• Plan for the future
• Get you in touch with a local budgeting service

For more information and to access the service, please visit the MoneyTalks website.

Please note: this is a government-funded resource and is not linked to the University of Auckland.