Minister of Social Services and Employment
Associate Minister of Education
(Tertiary Education)
23 December 1999

Embargoed until 12am, 26 December 1999

Government clear on future direction for WINZ

A post-election briefing paper prepared by Work and Income NZ (WINZ) for the Minister of Social Services and Employment will assist the Government to refocus the department, Steve Maharey said today.

"The Government has been very clear about the changes we want to see at WINZ. This week I have spoken with Mrs. Rankin and her senior officials and we went through the expectations which the new Government expects the department to deliver on.

"The WINZ briefing paper will be useful to the Government because it outlines many of the challenges that we also highlighted during the election campaign and in our policy. Getting WINZ to move off in a new direction is a key task for me as Minister", Steve Maharey said.

ENDS

Copies of the WINZ post-election briefing paper are available the Minister's office. Contact Michael Gibbs, Press Secretary, (04) 471 9154

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