All animals are equal, but some ...

which they are not entitled. In 2013-14, 893 prosecutions reportedly were carried out, 868 of them successfully, in cases of fraud debt totalling $30.55 million.

Work and Income, the unit within the ministry charged with trying to help find work for people or provide benefits for those who need them, is full of advice on its website to keep beneficiaries out of trouble. ‘‘If you owe money to us, we expect you to pay in full,’’ it cautions.

The overpayment of benefits is one reason why money might be owed. This can arise where changed personal circumstances affect a beneficiary’s entitlements or rates or when people have been erroneously paid more than their entitlements.

Whatever the reason, ‘‘you’ll have to pay this back’’.

Among the consequences for ignoring this advice, Work and Income has ‘‘certain legal powers’’ and ‘‘may be able to make deductions from your wages or bank account without your consent’’.

Underpayments are another matter. The Government can simply write a new law to validate the short-changing of beneficiaries, as it is now doing to deal with the costly implications of some serious maladministration.

Since 1998, Work and Income apparently should have been paying people from the day an applicant’s two-week ‘‘standdown’’ period ended. It has been starting payments the day after instead.

These underpayments will be expediently legitimised by retrospectively changing the law.

Beneficiary advocate Kay Brereton told Radio New Zealand a day’s pay to a person on the lowest income is ‘‘a lot of money’’ although Social Development Minister Anne Tolley (uncertain about the grand total) said the unpaid benefits would not be a ‘‘huge amount’’.

Tolley acknowledged the amendment to the law will legalise what has happened in practice. This is an adroit (but reproachful) way of ensuring the Government isn’t besieged by hundreds of thousands of people claiming the one day’s benefit they have been denied. The sum that will be saved probably amounts to millions of dollars (notwithstanding Tolley’s trivialising the sums involved). ‘‘Entitlement’’ is cynically being given new meaning at the same time.