Major concerns have been raised over how Work and Income calculates hardship food grants.
Otago University has told 1 NEWS it had not been consulted over the use of its data, and is worried with how it's being used.
Work and Income staff in Auckland have been told to calculate food grants by using Otago University's food cost survey, which tracks the annual cost of common food items.
Auckland Action Against Poverty's Ricardo Menéndez March says this has resulted in people's individual circumstances being ignored, people getting less food, and described the method as a "one size fits all cookie cutter".
Claire Smith of Otago University said there had been no conversations with Work and Income about their use of the data, "and we haven't been able to give them any information about how they should be interpreting it and the limitations that are involved".
"I wouldn't be comfortable for it being used for hardship benefits... People that need to buy smaller amounts because they're smaller households, it is likely to underestimate the costs."
Ms Smith said the Otago Food Cost Survey makes a large number of assumptions that would not always apply to people experiencing hardship and in need of food grants.
It assumes people have kitchen facilities, cooking skills and time to prepare meals. It also assumes people have cupboard staples such as baking powder, herbs and spices which are not included in their food basket.
Nor does the Otago Food Survey take into account any cultural needs or any special or health dietary requirements.
Work and Income Auckland regional commissioner Mark Goldsmith said in a statement the agency had been trialling the Otago University Food Cost Survey calculator across the Auckland region "to provide greater consistency across emergency food grant applications".
"The decision to start the trial came from a number of rulings from the Social Security Appeals Authority that found it was a useful guide for decision making," he said.
"The calculator provides additional guidance for frontline staff during conversations with our clients to better help us understand their individual circumstances and the level of assistance required."
Special Needs Food Grants have increased by more than double over the past year, with 229,132 grants allocated in the June 2019 quarter.
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