ASB has expanded its Support Finder tool to make it accessible to all New Zealanders, whether they are existing customers or not.
The Support Finder tool was launched in 2021 to connect customers to support payments provided by Ministry of Social Development and Inland Revenue they may be eligible for. Off the back of strong interest from customers, ASB is making Support Finder available to every Kiwi, regardless of where they bank, to help them establish what government support may be available to them.
Support Finder asks users a few simple questions and identifies if they may be eligible for financial help before guiding them to relevant government agencies where they can apply for support.
As part of the expansion, ASB has extended the number of support options, with 26 government benefits and payments now accessible via the Support Finder tool. It includes benefits and payments for students, jobseekers, those needing emergency food and housing grants, childcare subsidies including sole and young parent payments, transition to work grants and more.
Since its launch, Support Finder has connected thousands of ASB customers to more than $27m in support payments. ASB’s Head of Customer Advocacy Celia Pankhurst says making the tool available to all New Zealanders will benefit those in need, many who may be unaware of their eligibility and dipping into savings or borrowing money to bridge gaps.
“Whether you bank with us or not, we want to connect every Kiwi to the support that’s available to them. Through our own customers we see the impact the rising cost of living is having; from food inflation at its highest in 30 years to increases in rent and mortgages, we want to point New Zealanders doing it tough in the right direction.”
Savings balances are also in decline, with $467 less in the average Kiwi’s savings account than in July last year.
“We’d encourage anyone interested in finding out what government benefits they’re eligible for to make use of our Support Finder tool,” says Ms Pankhurst.
Notes:
Financial Wellbeing information is based on data from nearly 600,000 New Zealand adults that have their main bank relationship with ASB and includes high volumes of customers across all domestic regions and demographics. All data is anonymised and aggregated to protect the privacy of customers.
Visit Support Finder to find out what government support you’re eligible for https://online.asb.co.nz/digital/supportfinder
Full list of government benefits captured via the Support Finder tool below:
Jobseeker support
Young Parent payment
Sole Parent support
Supported Living Payment
New Zealand Superannuation
Childcare Subsidy
Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) Subsidy
Accommodation Supplement
Working for Families
Temporary Additional Support
Community Services Card
Emergency housing
Public housing
Recoverable Assistance Payment
Food grant
Power, gas, water bills or heating
Transition to Work Grant
New transition to work
$5k to work
Seasonal Work Assistance
Student allowance
Student Loan
Reduced student loan repayments
Repayment holiday
Debt instalment arrangement.
