Why is my partner expected to pay my bills?

Ricky Andrews says he knew his life would change when sickness meant he had to give up work.

But what he wasn't expecting was that New Zealand's support settings would mean he would become completely financially reliant on his partner.

Andrews is behind a petition seeking individualised disability support.

It calls for the community services card, disability allowance and supported living payment to be assessed on an individual basis, not including a partner's income. By Monday afternoon, 3320 people had signed.

At the moment, a couple with no dependent children could not earn more than $55,501 combined to qualify for a Community Services Card. A couple with or without children could not earn more than $1295 a week and receive a disability allowance. A similar level of income cut-off applied to the supported living payment.

"I've been in a relationship for 20 years and I got sick about six years ago with Parkinson's and discovered then the issues with MSD ( Ministry of Social Development) … if you've got a partner, they've got very low set joint income household limits so you're basically not eligible for any assistance," Andrews said.

Andrews said not being able to access a Community Services Card made doctors' visits difficult. "I've seen my doctor five or six times in the last six months. It's bad economics for the government.

"If people aren't seeking primary medical care then they're just going to end up in hospital with a worse problem, a more costly problem for the government to fix ... When you've got a low income and you're paying full price at the GP, a Community Services Card would drop that down to something much more affordable. We're not asking for free, we're just asking for a discounted rate.

"Then there's the financial autonomy as well. My partner, whenever we get an unexpected bill his go to line is 'oh I'll just pick up a few more shifts'. He already works one-and-a-half jobs to cover household expenses. I feel guilt. I try not to ask for money ... I feel a burden on him, the guilt on me I just feel terrible about. You shouldn't have to work 60-plus hours to support somebody. I've paid my taxes for the last 25 years, then when I get sick, it's not as if I've done anything wrong."

Andrews said it felt like an old-fashioned view of families that had been allowed to continue. "It goes back to the 1930s when Michael Joseph Savage introduced the Welfare Act. At the time … the husband would go to work, the wife would stay home and raise the kids and one income could look after a family and provide a home and food.

"In today's society, you need two incomes to keep a roof over your head to survive. When one income is lost instantly, mid-life, you can't expect people to survive."

Edwards said the couple had already downsized their life significantly, moving back from Kaipara where they had been building a bed and breakfast, to Canterbury.

"We're in a better position, we can survive off one income but it's hard. Not everybody is going to have the luxury to do what we did and that's where the basic supports should be individualised."

Andrews said he had since heard from people who were similarly disincentivised from starting a relationship because they could not expect a new partner to become financially responsible for them.

He said he would be collecting signatures until the end of Tuesday, before going through the process to deliver the petition to parliament.

Alicia Sudden, chief executive at the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS), said she was aware of the problem.

"NZCCSS was one of the organisations that was part of the Fairer Futures group which called for a range of changes including increasing the Disability Allowance and overhauling relationship rules. We support the recommendations from the Welfare Expert Advisory Group that changes around relationship rules are needed, and we recognise the complexity in what this should look like, for example how to factor in Working for Families and other supports for children or having other dependents."

The group recommended changes to income support to reduce the disincentive to form relationships and to move income support settings over time to be more neutral on the impact of being in a relationship in the nature of marriage.

Ricardo Menendez March said the Green Party had long supported ending the relationship rules that forced people to financially depend on the person MSD decided was their partner.

"People should be able to retain their financial autonomy and MSD is better off providing tailored income support as well as improving their pathways to employment rather than going after disabled people who have found connection and partnership."

The Ministry of Social Development has been approached for comment.

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