MANA MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 October 2011

Mana Wants Maori To Get Super At 60 Not 65

MANA leader Hone Harawira says Maori should be able to get national superannuation at least five years earlier than members of the general population.

He says this would be the fair thing to do as Maori on average die considerably younger than non-maori with many not reaching retirement age.

“The life expectancy of Maori is 8.2 years lower than non-maori with new born Maori expected to live 72.1 years while the average non-maori can expect to reach 81 years of age.

“On top of this the number of Maori in the younger age groups is disproportionately high meaning that as well as missing out on super Maori workers will be paying for non-Maori’s retirement.

“The lower life expectancy of Maori means that only one in 20 people over 65 are Maori, while four in 20 people under the age of 24 are Maori.

“In fairness we need to follow the example of Australia where aboriginal people are able to get the superannuation benefit at 60 not 65 because like Maori they die significantly younger than the general population.”

And Mr. Harawira says Labour’s plans to up the age for eligibility from 65 to 67 will make the discrimination against Maori even worse.

He says ACT has consistently pushed national down a path which discriminates against Maori but now Labour is blatantly bowing to the Act racist agenda.

“This proposal to raise the super age from 65 to 67 is straight out of the Don Brash anti-maori handbook being a key recommendation of the Government’s 2020 Task Force which he headed.

“I ask each of the Maori members of the Labour caucus whether they support the proposal to life the age of national super announced by leader Phil Goff last week? If they do they are supporting a policy which clearly discriminates against Maori.

“It is not just MANA saying that the current superannuation policy is highly prejudicial against Maori and that Labour’s plans would make far worse, Professor Natalie Jackson from Waikato University’s demographic studies centre has been consistently pointing this out to closed ears and minds in Wellington.”

ENDS

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