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Annual Report
Purpose: To verify a client’s eligibility or continuing eligibility to a benefit where a client has legally changed their name in New Zealand and not informed MSD. The programme is also used to identify debtors and suspected benefit fraud.
BDM disclosure to MSD: BDM provides name change records from January 2009 to the extract date. The name change details include the full name at birth, former full name, new full name, birth date, residential address, and country of birth.
Compliance: Not compliant, minor technical issue
|
Information matching provision |
Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995, s.78A |
|
Year authorised |
2009 |
|
Year commenced |
2012 |
|
Programme type |
Auditing data quality |
|
Unique identifiers |
|
System description
Each quarter, BDM provides MSD with an encrypted CD of all name change records from January 2009 to the extract date. The records start from January 2009 as a law change resulted in a new register being created from that date; and the file includes all name change records. Records that have been provided previously are not excluded as any subsequent name changes are added to the initial record for that person and the (initial) Registration Date does not change. The name change details include the full name at birth, former full name, new full name, birth date, residential address, and country of birth.
MSD compares the name change records with MSD client records to identify clients who have registered a name change and not advised MSD of the new name. The matching process produces positive matches that are weighted to indicate the probability that an MSD client is the person on the Name Change Register.
If MSD finds any discrepancies, these are manually verified before any action is taken, including sending notices of adverse action. From time to time MSD may conduct investigations using the results of a match if fraud is suspected.
| 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | |
| Match runs | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Records received for matching | 67,679 | 53,795 | 87,938 | 48,778 | 102,791 | 27,786 |
| Possible matches identified | 1,110 | 774 | 913 | 2,938 | 0 | 1,353 |
| Matches that required no further action | 597 | 540 | 512 | 2,295 | 0 | 832 |
| Notices of adverse action | 513 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Action taken (no overpayment made) | 0 | 0 | 401 | 643 | 0 | 521 |
| Successful challenges | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Overpayments established | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Values of overpayments established | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No cases were created under the Overseas Born Name Change Programme during the 2020/21 period due to IT Issues that have now been resolved.
The utility of this provision was assessed in a report Review of statutory authorities for information matching (September 2017), and subsequently in the Ministry of Social Development information matching; review of statutory authorities for information matching (September 2019).
