Public Education Programme To Change Emphasis

- Retirement Commissioner's Annual Report

Retirement Commissioner Colin Blair has signalled a change in the emphasis of his Office's public education programme in the coming year.

The Office of the Retirement Commissioner's 1998/99 Annual Report, tabled in Parliament today, explains that the Office will be reducing it's focus on general awareness and financial planning education, in favour of a more targeted approach to specific audiences.

"We will continue with our general awareness programme, but we intend to place more emphasis on the delivery of information and knowledge through the workplace and programmes in schools," Mr Blair says.

"We intend to develop our web site to make it more attractive and useful to different segments of the community, for example younger people, those raising families, those approaching retirement, those in retirement, women, those with limited capacity to save and those with an interest in policy development and savings data."

"We see the Internet as a very cost-effective way of distributing current information and providing education through interactive and other interesting techniques."

As well, Mr Blair says that the Office's research programme will also be expanded in order to gain a greater understanding of savings behaviour and the factors which influence it.

With the help of his Office's public education programmes, Colin Blair says he hopes that more New Zealanders reach their planned retirement age feeling that they have made good choices between spending and saving during their working lives.

"Generally that will only happen as a result of good long term financial planning. We will continue to do what we can to assist people with that planning process." he says.

A full summary of the Retirement Commissioner's Annual Report is available at www.retirement.org.nz/reading.annual.html End

For further information contact: Liz Read, Communications Manager, ph (04) 499 7396 (wk), (04) 476 4636 (hm)

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