Poverty and Advocacy: The Gisborne Impact Story

An action research report on Te Tairawhiti Special Benefit “Impact” October 2003, by Catherine Delahunty of Kotare Research and Education for Social Change Trust. 

This case study documents a campaign by Gisborne community workers to highlight the lack of implementation of the Special Benefit by the Department of Work and Income in the Gisborne region.  Even though Gisborne is one of the poorest regions in the country, beneficiaries were missing out on their entitlement to additional benefit income.

With the help of beneficiary advocates from other places in the North Island, the Gisborne people organised an 'impact' - an intensive advocacy campaign to promote the Special Benefit to welfare beneficiaries over three days in Gisborne and one day in Ruatoria in October 2003.

Catherine Delahunty, one of the participants, describes what happened, how the events were planned, the situations they discovered, and makes recommendations for changes needed by the local operation of the Department of Work and Income in the area.

Download a PDF version of the 'Impact' report

 

Download a Word version of the 'Impact' report