Benefit Me Aotearoa
About the project
While many social security supports exist in legislation to help citizens, the Benefit Me team are concerned that whānau and individuals do not always access or understand their entitlements. New Zealand residents have diverse personal challenges and complex, high pressure situations that result in them being unaware or excluded from full information around benefits that are designed to support their recovery.
This project will continue work on a pilot of an innovative digital service – Benefit Me. Benefit Me is a free demonstration of entitlement checking offering a showcase of the technology, and permitting benefit advocates to explore and validate new approaches to navigating legislation online.
Objectives:
- Benefit Me should provide any individual clear and personalised benefit information via the website. Without collecting personal information, Benefit Me will provide an explanation of the benefits available to the user’s circumstances.
- Citizens Advice Bureau will release and promote the pilot through their service network and enable Ackama to validate that the service helps New Zealanders in meaningful ways.
The team expect this service to inform a wider understanding of the potential of digital tools in the space of voluntary and community advocacy for New Zealanders.
Grant amount
$110,000 in 2024
About Ackama and Citizens Advice Bureau
Citizens Advice Bureau are a nationwide, but locally based, community organisation. Citizens Advice Bureau help people to know and understand their rights and obligations, and how to use this information to get the best outcomes.
Ackama is a New Zealand founded software development company with offices in Wellington and Melbourne. Ackama has a strong focus on delivering social benefit and delivering services that are responsibly designed. Ackama are experts in strategy, design and technology, specialising in user-centred design and open-source technologies.
Contact
Josh Forde, Director, Ackama
0226908829