Welfare rights — supporting people to access the social support they're entitled to — is essential community infrastructure. New Zealand's benefit system is complex, and many people miss out on entitlements. Grants fund community law, benefit advocacy, financial mentoring, and social rights work. This guide covers the key funding sources.
Community Law Centres provide free legal help:
- Benefit appeals and MSD challenges
- Employment rights
- Tenancy rights
- Family law assistance
- Consumer rights
Community Law Centres receive core funding from New Zealand Law Foundation and Ministry of Justice.
NZ Law Foundation funds access to justice:
- Community law programme funding
- Legal research and education
- Access to justice projects
Ministry of Justice funds community legal services:
- Community Law Centre funding: Core funding for CLCs
- Legal aid: Funded legal representation for qualifying clients
- Access to justice: Legal services for vulnerable people
Gaming trusts fund welfare rights services:
- Four Winds Foundation: Community social services including advocacy
- Grassroots Trust: Community social support
- Pub Charity: Community social services
- Lion Foundation: Community social services
Gaming trust welfare rights applications:
- Benefit advocate salary
- Client travel and support costs
- Food bank supplementary grants
- Financial mentor training
Financial capability as welfare rights:
- Commission for Financial Capability (CFFC): Financial mentoring investment
- FinCap: National financial mentoring network
- Gaming trusts: Financial mentor funding
- Community organisations: Financial mentoring in social services context
Food security alongside welfare rights:
- Gaming trusts: Food bank supply and operational costs
- Community food hubs: Kai access for benefit recipients
- Salvation Army: Emergency food relief
- Foodbank NZ: Network coordination
Budget Services:
- CFFC-funded budget advisors: Free budgeting and financial advice
- Community budgeting services: Budgeting support alongside welfare
- Debt management: Managing debt on benefit
Kaupapa Māori welfare rights:
- Te Puni Kōkiri: Māori welfare and social support
- Whānau Ora: Whānau-centred social service navigation
- Māori community law: Legal services for Māori clients
Disability and benefit entitlements:
- Whaikaha: Disability support access
- Community advocacy: Disability welfare rights
- NASC assessments: Needs Assessment Service Coordination for disability services
Strong applications demonstrate:
- People helped: Benefit advocacy cases and outcomes
- Appeals won: Successful MSD review and appeal outcomes
- Entitlements accessed: Benefits and services received as a result of advocacy
- Equity: Māori, Pacific, and disabled people with highest unmet need
- Legal advice: Community law advice hours provided
- Financial mentoring: Clients improving financial capability
- Community reach: Outreach to people not accessing services
- Prevention: Early intervention preventing debt and crisis
Tahua's grants management platform helps welfare rights and community law organisations manage grant applications across gaming trusts, MSD, Ministry of Justice, and community foundations, tracking advocacy outcomes, entitlements accessed, and social rights achieved.