Social Assistance International Comparisons

The purpose of this paper is to use standard methodologies to shed some light on the relative levels of New Zealand’s financial support for beneficiaries, compared with OECD countries. The paper does not, and cannot, make a judgement about whether these levels are “too high” or “too low.” Such an assessment is by its nature subjective, and there are many different ways in which the generosity of these settings can be assessed.