Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland
17 JUNE 2016

Speech by New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland Rt Hon Winston Peters

Kaipara Grey Power,

Methodist Church, Normanby St,

Dargaville

12.50pm, Friday, June 17, 2016

“NATIONAL PUSHING MYTHS OF GENEROSITY”

When the Budget came out the prime minister said under the National Government, the New Zealand Superannuation Fund has gone up by 34 percent in the time they have been in power.

He said the average married couple were $250 a fortnight better off under a National-led Government.

He was trying to push the myth of how wonderfully generous his government is.

What he didn’t say was the increase is due to a pre-set requirement under the NZ Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001 in which payment is adjusted annually by the change in the Consumers price Index and which requires payment to be not less than 66 per cent or more than 72.5 per cent of the average ordinary time weekly earnings.

It has nothing to do with the Key government.

But say something often enough without giving the detail and people believe you.

That is a government strategy.

You would have heard so-called experts parrot NZ Super is becoming too expensive for the country.

Don’t believe them.

These are the words of spin doctors and political parties like ACT who want the age of eligibility increased.

Remember also Labour campaigned on raising the age to 67, lost, and backed down.

The fact is at 4.3 percent of GDP, the cost of New Zealand superannuation is relatively low by international standards and it compares very well with an OECD average of around 7 %.

Because NZ Superannuation is taxable, its cost net of tax is around 3.7% of GDP.

Remember it was the National government who increased the surtax, at its worst 92 per cent

The National government increased the age of eligibility.

The National government lowered the level of entitlement.

And the National government capped the travel concession and worse still there is chaos in Auckland’s transport’s move to a Hop card for Seniors. Ten of thousands of SuperGold Card carriers are being frog marched into a change at their expense that Mr Key, as recently as April, was promising would not happen.

So if you go from Dargaville to Auckland after July 1 you won’t be able to use your SuperGold Card for transport. You will have to pay for gold-coloured HOP card, costing $15. Every non-Aucklander coming to that city is now caught with this requirement.

CULLEN FUND

And the National government, having suspended payments to the Cullen Fund, against even Treasury’s advice, then have the audacity to start taxing the Cullen Fund. It is an enormous deception to tax a fund that has already been paid for by taxes.

- National robbed NZ Super of well over $17 billion in contributions and lost profit on those contributions that could have gone directly to build the Cullen Fund.

- The fund was set up to cushion payments at the start of peak demand in 15 years’ time.

- The fund is worth $30 billion and would have been worth $47 billion had National paid contributions over 10 years.

NZ SUPER/IMMIGRATION

New Zealand First believes NZ Super can be made more affordable if New Zealand did not take in tens of thousands of older migrants.

We say only New Zealanders and those who have qualified by length of stay and other requirements should get the full pension.

A migrant can come to New Zealand at the age of 55, live here 10 years and contribute nothing and qualify for a full pension – well over 85,000 people have done so in the last 15 years. That is equivalent to the total population of Palmerston North.

At the same time many uninformed commentators are claiming that NZ Super is unaffordable. These same hypocrites are so PC that they won’t challenge the policy of bringing in so many older immigrants who, in 10 years acquire full NZ Super and all the benefits.

And National won’t confront this because they are politically correct; they are at the beck and call of the mass immigrationists and lack the fortitude to face up to the facts.

We say changes must be made in entitlement criteria so that payments are adjusted directly proportionate to the years of residence.

LABOUR AND GREENS

Even Labour and the Greens are getting worried about immigration and have buddied up with an agreement.

They’re welcome to do what they want.

But New Zealand First will not be part of any scheming or plotting.

We’re not buddying up with any political parties.

We’ll stand on our own feet.

We’ll concentrate on growing our vote and not waste time with cobbled together pre-election arrangements that expire on election night. That’s right this is a deal put together before you get to vote and which expires immediately you have voted.

We have never liked this type of politics and never will.

We have an old fashioned view of democracy which is - we wait until the votes are counted.

We are not signing up to any pre-election deals.

Voters need to be fully aware of what an individual party’s policies are and not be confused.

New Zealand First wants a coalition with the people. That's what we did in the past and that's what we will be doing again in 2017.

We take pride in making sure our voters know where we stand and what our policies are.

CONCLUSION

Only one party champions the cause of seniors in this country.

Only one party has worked long and hard for the SuperGold Card and NZ Super.

Only one party has been locked in battle with the government over the issue of fairness to the Seniors of this country, some of whom worked over 47 years paying some of the highest taxes in our history, before they entered retirement.

ENDS

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