There are concerns benefit increases could be gobbled up by rent increases.

Weekly main benefit rates will increase by between $32 and $55 per adult by April next year.

Citizen Advice Bureau's Andrew Hubbard told Heather du Plessis Allan one of the key drivers of hardship is the cost of rent - and lifting benefits doesn't address that.

"There's been a lot of work from Government looking at home ownership, but we also need to recognise that many New Zealanders are renting for good, and we need to look at ways of making that more affordable."

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