Thanks for the comment, I am on the same page with you. I knew about "the benefit" in NZ, didn't know it's also called the "dole". Yes, we are a network of actors playing in the same movie, and the movie can't move forward if we have just a handful of actors. We need everybody on board.
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We have a range of benefits here, and they are all commonly called 'the dole'.
Many years ago we had a social welfare state. The prevailing view at the time was that it was the governments job to take care of all of its citizens fro the cradle to the grave.
Everyone was to be catered for and cared for. The was a marvelous place to be back then for most people.
That ethos has been eroded now to the point where the government's job now is to strip mine the people and the country and squeeze out as much cash as possible.
We have had successive economist leaders who have bought into the American ideal that the dollar is king and everyone should bow down to it.
I like our benefit system. My taxes help to keep it running, so I make sure I pay all of my taxes on time. I can see how it benefits people.
Like my wife, who was on an invalids benefit after suffering a massive stroke at the age of 29. That benefit allowed to to struggle through getting her life back. The government supported her to get housing, they supported her to go to university and gain a master's degree.
Now she is in full time work, paying her taxes so someone else can be given the help they need to get through the hard times.
We also have ACC. (Accident Compensation Commission) If you get injured at work, or playing sport etc, you can get the cost of treatment, rehabilitation, etc paid for by the government.
We don't have the right to sue here. It means you don't have to launch an expensive law suit against your employer if you are off injured for a few weeks. The government covers about 80% of your income so you can survive and get well again.
This is backed up with strict Health and Safety laws to try and prevent accidents in the first place.
It's not perfect, but nothing ever is. What it does though is give everyone peace of mind that there is a safety net if they need it. And that gives you options, hope, freedom.
You only need to look at the US these days to see what it looks like when that hope and freedom is lost.