Record benefit fraud

258000 fellow Kiwis are on some kind of benefit and a large number are fraudulently receiving those benefits. However the spin merchants say the numbers are immaterial.

The ministry said there was no trend in the figures and the prosecution data related to a very small percentage of overall benefit numbers.

Small percentage? Near on 6% suspected / successfully prosecuted annually suggests otherwise. 16,000 fraudulent activities is a damned big number. And the trend is for a similar number to be fraudulently at the trough this year and next year and ...

I wonder what is the dollar value of the fraudulent amounts stopped. Will any Ministry or WINZ staffers be fired for approving those benefits saving even more taxpayer dollars? I thought not.

All the care and nil responsibility of a government department no doubt.