Wednesday, October 24, 2012



WINZ doesn't care

Anyone who has ever had the misfortune to deal with WINZ knows they have a shitty attitude towards their "clients". So, its not really that surprising that they're using people's sensitive personal information as scrap paper around the office:

Work and Income New Zealand has been embroiled in another privacy breach after paperwork with clients' personal details were given to a Masterton woman.

Sensitive papers containing the personal details of clients were used as scrap paper, including a hand-written note between staff.


This is the sort of fundamental breach of privacy which can only come about by an attitude of just plain not giving a shit, not seeing the people involved as people. Sadly, that attitude is all too common at WINZ. And its simply not acceptable.

(I leave it as an exercise for the reader how much of that attitude is led by the current Minister, who publicly treats beneficiaries as subhuman and denigrates and abuses them at every opportunity...)

And if you're stupid enough to think that WINZ's problems don't affect you, because you're not currently a beneficiary, remember that even if you escape misfortune (or a student loan), one day you'll turn 65 and get NZ super. At which stage, you'll have to deal with WINZ. Its in all our interests that this organisation is functional and treats people decently.