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The government has announced that people who get injured while committing a crime will not be getting any financial help from ACC.
ACC Minister Nick Smith says it is unfair to ask New Zealanders to shell out more in levies when criminals are benefiting.
"There have been cases where people have been involved in the drugs trade, have been blown up in a P lab, who have then been able to get quite generous income compensation& We think that's wrong and that's why we're tightening it up," says Smith.
ACC paid out almost $670,000 for treating injured prison inmates last year.
Now the government is drawing the line at paying lump sum compensation or income support to offenders when they are released.
ACC can already prevent payouts by going to court, but has only been able to do so in nine cases.
Smith says under the new law, serious offenders will be automatically banned from making claims.
"Given the sacrifices that we're going to be asking a large number of New Zealanders to accept change on, it's an issue of fairness," says Smith.
Those sacrifices will be revealed by the government in a major announcement on Wednesday.
It will include significant increases to levies like those collected through car registration and petrol taxes.
Services will be cut and Kiwis will be paying more for treatment.
Labour's ACC spokesman, David Parker, says the proposed changes go too far.
"Restrictions on access to counselling for victims of serious sexual crimes, cuts to orthopaedic surgery and cuts to home based care are already being implemented," he says.
But the government says with a $13 billion deficit, someone has to pay.
