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Tavia Moore is an advocate with Christchurch Beneficiary Advisory Services.
Too often, pleas for help by those living on a benefit are left to the discretion of Work and Income case managers, says a beneficiary advocate. Tavia Moore, an advocate at the Beneficiary Advisory Service in Christchurch, said she spent a lot of time negotiating decisions to help people in need get food. Those seeking help could get one response from one person and a different response from someone else. ’Sometimes it is hard to persuade them [Work and Income]. “They will say they ve had this much in the past six months and that justifies us from denying them further assistance even if they still meet the criteria for exceptional circumstances. ’