Hello Hilary, here are a couple of links your readers might find interesting.

Keith Rankin discusses how a UBI might be introduced in a gradual way as part of tax reform:
http://briefingpapers.co.nz/2016/03/universal-basic-income-and-income-tax-reform/

And Michael Fletcher argues that there would still need to be a welfare overlay as a UBI wouldn't cope with high housing costs or cover costs for single parents (for example):
http://briefingpapers.co.nz/2016/03/a-universal-basic-income-may-be-a-good-idea-but-we-will-still-need-social-security-that-works/

A lot of people like the idea of a UBI because it means they won't have to deal with WINZ anymore - but surely we also need to ensure WINZ and the processes it administers are more efficient and more humane?

Spoke to a homeless man downtown last week who had a similar story. I've seen this guy on the streets for a while and thought he had a house to go to. He did - but lost the tenancy because meth residue was discovered.

He says the house was not tested before he moved in - so how do they know it was him? (He says it wasn't.) It doesn't seem to matter and he is back on the streets.

He's not building up a debt - but he is fighting cancer.

FFS.