NZ Family Support

Map high-level New Zealand family support questions to the official IRD, MSD, and Work and Income (WINZ) pages/checkers that should be used next.

This skill is a source map, not an entitlement calculator. It does not collect private details, decide eligibility, estimate payments, or submit applications.

Use this when

• A user asks what official source covers Working for Families or family tax credits
• A user asks about Best Start, FamilyBoost, childcare help, or early childhood education costs
• A user asks about Accommodation Supplement or help with rent/board/housing costs
• A user is already dealing with MSD/WINZ and needs the IRD/MSD handoff for family support
• You need to send a user to an official private checker instead of gathering sensitive details in chat

Do not use this for

• Calculating entitlement amounts, income thresholds, abatement, or payment dates
• Collecting names, IRD numbers, addresses, exact income, custody details, rent, or bank details
• Applying for payments, updating accounts, uploading documents, or contacting agencies
• Non-family welfare statistics — use msd-benefits-nz or public-housing-nz where appropriate

Safe workflow

1. Classify the request at a high level: WFF, new baby/Best Start, childcare, housing, or MSD/WINZ handoff.
2. Run the CLI to retrieve official source links and handoff notes.
3. Give the user the relevant official pages/checkers and explain that eligibility must be checked there.
4. If the user shares private details, do not process them; redirect to the relevant official checker/page.

Commands

cli=skills/nz-family-support/scripts/cli.py

# List all official source mappings
python3 $cli sources
python3 $cli sources --category childcare --json

# Search high-level wording; do not include private personal details
python3 $cli search "help with childcare fees" --json
python3 $cli search "rent accommodation supplement"

# Route common scenarios
python3 $cli pathways
python3 $cli pathway working-for-families --json
python3 $cli pathway on-benefit

# Show one official source
python3 $cli show ird-familyboost --json

# Optional live URL check of official pages
python3 $cli verify --all --json

Main source IDs

• ird-support-for-families
• ird-working-for-families
• ird-wff-msd-handoff
• ird-best-start
• ird-familyboost
• msd-checker
• msd-accommodation-supplement-checker
• winz-accommodation-supplement
• winz-childcare-subsidy
• winz-working-for-families

Resources

• CLI entrypoint: scripts/cli.py
• Smoke test: scripts/smoke_test.py
• Official source map and safety notes: references/source-map.md

Notes

• Prefer official checkers for personal circumstances: https://check.msd.govt.nz/ and the relevant IRD/WINZ pages.
• Treat IRD/MSD/WINZ pages as authoritative and current; this repo only stores routing metadata.
• Use NZ English in summaries built from this output.