1938年《社会保障法》明确了国家满足个人需求的责任,尽管社会保障无法改变人们生活机会上的巨大差异,但是它对人们生活中可能遇到的最坏情况给予防范和保护,比私人慈善机构所能提供的保障更有尊严、更有规律和更负责任。自《社会保障法》颁布以来,成千上万的新西兰人获得了喘息的空间和安全感。
从社会保障制度建立开始,社会保障就推进了整个社会权利的共享和平等公民权的意识,来自所有工薪阶层的缴税又以福利的方式重新分配给有需要的工薪阶层和非工薪阶层(不考虑其社会贡献大小),这是新西兰社会保障制度有别于其他国家的地方,使贫穷的或没有工作的国民获得了尊严和制度的保护。拒绝建立社会保险模式是新西兰社会保障制度最重要的特征之一,在社会保障需求较高的年代,这种模式面临的最大挑战之一是不仅要维持社会保障的充分性,而且要确保受益人的尊严。
<<The social security law of 1938 defines the responsibility of the state to meet individual needs. Although social security can not change the huge differences in people's life opportunities, it provides prevention and protection for the worst situations that people may encounter in life, which is more dignified, regular and responsible than the security provided by private charities. Since the enactment of the social security act, thousands of new Zealanders have gained breathing space and a sense of security p> < p > since the establishment of the social security system, social security has promoted the sharing of rights in the whole society and the awareness of equal citizenship. Taxes from all wage earners are redistributed to wage earners and non wage earners in need in the form of welfare (regardless of their social contributions), which is different from other countries in New Zealand's social security system, Poor or jobless nationals are protected by dignity and system. Refusing to establish a social insurance model is one of the most important features of New Zealand's social security system. In an era of high social security demand, one of the biggest challenges facing this model is not only to maintain the adequacy of social security, but also to ensure the dignity of beneficiaries p> <<