Government to trial emergency text alerts for jobseekers at 6am

Luxon says it's “necessary to get these bums out of bed”

The Government has confirmed it will begin trialling a new welfare initiative modelled on the Civil Defence emergency alert system, but instead of warning about floods or earthquakes, the target is unemployment.

Starting next month, beneficiaries across high-unemployment regions will receive a daily 6am text message at full volume urging them to get out of bed and look for work. The text cannot be turned off or silenced and will repeat every morning until the recipient can show evidence of job-seeking.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon front-footed the announcement during a visit to a PAK'nSAVE in East Auckland.

“Yeah, it’s going to be annoying,” he said. “But what I say to you is that it is necessary to get these bums out of bed and into work. We are not here to babysit people into a lifestyle of doing nothing. If they want to smoke meth and drink Cody’s Bourbon and Cola all day, then they can pay for it themselves!”

The alert, written by a team of communications specialists and ex-army sergeant majors, will include reminders to brush teeth, wear deodorant and to check Seek and Trade Me Jobs before breakfast.

Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March called the policy “cruel and authoritarian” and likened it to psychological torture. He said the Government was deliberately humiliating the poor and should “just rename themselves the Nazi Party and be done with it”.

“This is not policy. This is state-sanctioned bullying,” he said. “They are treating low-income people like a threat to national security. What’s next, ankle bracelets for the unemployed?”

Chlöe Swarbrick was also scathing. She told reporters that work should not be treated as compulsory and that Māori and Pasifika communities, in particular, deserve a break.

“You don’t repair the legacy of colonisation by screaming into people’s bedrooms at 6am. You repair it through justice, education and financial support. Not with sirens and surveillance.”

A draft version of the text alert, obtained by Matua News, reads:

EMERGENCY JOB ALERT
It is now 6.00am. You are receiving this message because you are currently unemployed. Please get out of bed and actively seek employment.

The pilot programme will begin in parts of South Auckland, Porirua, Rotorua and Invercargill, chosen for their “untapped human potential and close proximity to industrial zones”.

Further ideas being explored include a companion app that tracks whether jobseekers have left the house and an MSD loyalty scheme where five job interviews unlock a free small packet of fries at KFC.

Luxon dismissed criticism of the policy as “overreaction from the usual activist crowd”.

“I make no apology. We are bringing back expectations. If you can get up for an emergency alert, you can get up for a job.”

Officials say if the pilot is successful, the alert system could be rolled out nationwide by the end of the year.