Winston Peters and the great NZ superannuation scam...

I do understand Winston's feeling of having been let down by Brendan Boyle and possibly some members of an opposing political coterie. Winston has seen his private pension information made public by incompetents within Boyle's Ministry of Social Development - or by egregious political behaviour on the part of his opponents.

That is bad enough. But wait there is more! Winston was overpaid by this incompetent ministry but over 89000 New Zealanders have been UNDERPAID over recent years by the same incompetents.

In my own case, I have been underpaid since 2011 - during the period that Winston was overpaid and by a similar amount. MSD have not been as quick with re-imbursement as Winston has been. Civil servants must accept full responsibility for their wrongdoings - even though those at Brendan's exhaulted level are often paid more than their political masters. All care and no responsibility it seems!

In my own case, I worked in Canada between 1977 and 1983. During this short period, I contributed to the Canada Pension Plan. This is a private plan funded by employees and employers similar to that of the UK. It is largely analogous with Kiwi Saver and is designed to add private savings to any government pension. It would indeed be helpful in retirement were it not for the fact that Brendan's MSD has deemed it fair and right to sequester my private savings.

I am a New Zealander and I have worked and paid taxes here for over 40 years yet my 'private' savings are being stolen by MSD as they deduct them from my 'non-means tested' NZ superannuation. MSD has proved to be intractable in dealing with NZ pensioners who have worked and saved overseas.

Fair enough, I don't expect to receive a non-contributory government pension from an overseas government in my NZ retirement. However, we have long been told that NZ superannuation is not means tested. Have I got news for Brendan, Tolley and Bennett, yes, it is? I am means tested on my private overseas savings and I forfeit a large part of my N Z superannuation because of this.

My sympathies are with Winston. Through ministry incompetence he was overpaid and then dropped in it by either ministry staff or political detractors. Brendan Boyle should step down and his political masters (or mistresses) should make sure that ALL Kiwi pensioners are treated with respect and fairness.

I want to slip into the vernacular here: come on you overpaid mandarins and you political Pension double dippers, give us disempowered pensioners a fair suck at the sav!

ENDS

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