Married at first sight - investigative practices by the Ministry of Social Development: September 27, 2018

Eleven thousand calls were made to the Ministry of Social development benefit fraud hotline resulting in just over 400 convictions. The ministry can investigate people without their knowledge, often asking associates personal questions about the person’s life. Over 3000 of these calls were accusations a person was in a relationship in the nature of marriage, which can result in their individual benefits being stopped if the Ministry finds they are dependant on the other person. Lachlan spoke with Ricardo Menéndez March from Auckland Action Against Poverty about the system and its flaws.