Susan Sheridan says the Government’s decision to raise benefits by up to $55 a week was about "giving a hand up" to those who needed one.
A solo mum to her now adult children for a decade, she knew how hard it was to save small amounts over a long period.
"That will be of huge support for people in that situation," Ms Sheridan said.
A former aviation security officer who has just started a new job as a personal assistant at a real estate company, she moved into a Frankton apartment earlier this month after renting for years.
She got the apartment through the Queenstown Lakes Housing Trust’s Secure Home programme after being on the trust’s waiting list for about 18 months.
She was not concerned about the Treasury’s projection that house price growth would stall over the next year, or banks’ predictions house prices could fall.
The trust was a guaranteed buyer, should she want to sell, at the purchase price with an adjustment for inflation, which gave her financial security.
She accepted the Government’s need to borrow heavily over the next five years because the country had gone through "unprecedented times".
However, there was a fine balance between supporting those who needed support, and allowing the nation to get into too much debt.
"Taxpayers will be paying for it for a long time to come."
