Greens want end to discrimination against retirees

New Zealand's superannuation system needs urgent amendment to stop some overseas-born New Zealanders being hit in the pocket because they started saving for their retirement in their country of birth, the Green Party says.

Greens Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons this morning met with a group of older people in Auckland and announced the Party's plan to make New Zealand Super fairer and prevent discrimination against those who put money into government-administered pension schemes overseas.

"Many retired and semi-retired people have worked both in their countries of origin and here in New Zealand and those I spoke to this morning feel they are being discriminated against.

"There are also New Zealanders by birth who are losing their entitlement to New Zealand Super because they married somebody from overseas who has contributed to a pension scheme there and is now getting payments from that.

"As it stands now, these people are losing dollar for dollar from their New Zealand Superannuation the amount paid to them from those overseas schemes.

"That's simply not fair. Our policy says that if you have put into a contributory pension scheme overseas, you should not be penalised by having that deducted from what you are entitled to here.

"New Zealanders who saved for their retirement independently are able to receive payments from those schemes and the taxpayer-funded New Zealand Super, it is not fair to penalise those who did the same overseas.

"We are not saying people should get taxpayer-funded super from both countries, but if someone has put away what are effectively savings in a contributory scheme, they should be able to enjoy the benefits of their foresight," Ms Fitzsimons says.

ENDS

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