Support for raising retirement age

Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, May 30th, 2011 - 37 comments
Categories: superannuation - Tags:

A Herald poll asked people their views on raising the retirement age. Surprisingly, support was strong – 52.3% think the issue needs addressing

National whines the country is broke so they have to cut public services and sell assets (while keeping on borrowing for tax cuts for the rich), but super for 65 year olds alone costs $625 million a year. That means just raising the retirement age by one year would save over ten years about as much as National is hoping to get from asset sales. And we wouldn’t lose the dividends from and control over our strategic assets.

12% of the money the government is spending this year will go on super, by 2015 that will be 15%, and  by 2025 it will be 21%. Simply put, the system was never designed to support the majority of people for 15+ years of their lives. It’s not realistic to expect that the retirement age won’t rise while life expectancy does.

The UK and Australia are raising the retirement age to 67 in 2020 and 2023 respectively. A 67 retirement age in New Zealand would save $1.2 billion a year today, and more as the population ages. Should we follow other countries’ lead?

John Key has said he will never act on superannuation. He said this morning he can’t worry about something ten years off because he has too much worry about in the next ten weeks. That wonderful short-termism again. (he also said that selling assets reduces the country’s indebtedness to the rest of the world – its impossible to believe anything out of his mouth).

Will any party have the courage to take on super?

37 comments on “Support for raising retirement age ”

  1. We urgently need to have this debate. Essentially either we start saving now or the weight of numbers of baby boomers will cause severe financial stress on the state in 20 years time.

    We can start saving by:

    1.  Accelerating private savings. (Kiwisaver)
    2.  Establishing and contributing to a designated fund (Cullen fund)

    Or we can reduce the cost either by

    3.  increasing the eligible age or
    4.  means testing the benefit.

    So far Key has gutted 1 and 2 and refused to do 3 or 4 “while he is prime minister”.  This is highly irresponsible and will make it inevitable that something will give eventually.

    I guess when you have $55m you do not need to worry about such things …

  2. marsman 2

    All very well to raise the retirement age but what about people who have been in demanding physical jobs all their working lives, I’m sure their bodies would be grateful of a rest at age 65.

    • Blighty 2.1

      Agree that that’s a problem with a retirement age of 67, just as it is with the age at 65 but it’s not an argument against raising the age in itself, it’s an argument for special arrangements for those people.

      If people can’t work any more due to age and work-related degradation, they should be able to get either the invalid’s benefit, ACC, or the pension earlier. I believe this already happens to an extent.

      • onsos 2.1.1

        ACC specifically excludes age-related degradation. The invalids benefit is significantly less than superannuation. The people concerned are unlikely to have insurance, or have had the capacity to have saved for their retirement.

        This is not an issue that can be blagged away. Raising the age of entitlement to super will make life worse for people who work physically for a living. Much worse.

  3. Carol 3

    Maybe John Key is not keen on having to deal with the issue of providing more jobs for both young and old if the retirement age is raised?

    I also can see a problem for those who have worked hard and manual jobs all their lives. It would work against lower paid workers.

    Why have a fixed reitrement age for all occupations? What about having a more flexible system eg lower retirement age for those who have worked a significant amount of time in low paid jobs requiring physical labour, part time work & partial pensions for others? I know people who have told me they have less energy for fulltime work as they get into their mid-60s.

    And is the cost of superannuation the real problem, or the vast inequalities in income across all ages?

    • handle 3.1

      “I also can see a problem for those who have worked hard and manual jobs all their lives.”

       
      That’s true. Raising the age also disadvantages groups who tend to die younger – such as Maori and Pacific peoples, and men.

      • Vicky32 3.1.1

        Raising the age also disadvantages groups who tend to die younger – such as Maori and Pacific peoples, and men

        Not just those groups! As I have said in my post below, of my whole family, only one grandfather ever lived long enough to make it to National Super age, and then he died 5 years later… If I am lucky enough to live long enough, I will be the first since 1945… Oops, I forgot – my Mum made it to 62, and back in those days the pension went to women at 60, so she was lucky, she had 19 months of it… (We’re Scottish/English with a huge history of cardiac problems and an average age at death of 35!)

  4. Janice 4

    The pension should be means tested on other income, why should someone still working get paid the pension? This includes people like Don Brash, Roger Douglas and Bob Jones. If it was means tested these people wouldn’t even be able to apply for it. The pension is a state benefit and should be treated like other benefits, but where is the politician who will say so? There could be a reasonable abatement level to cover interest, etc. I am pretty sure that Australia has a system to not pay people who don’t need it.

    • Carol 4.1

      I paid into a compulsory system when I worked for a small number of years in Aussie. So on retirement, I will get something back based on what I paid into it.

      • John D 4.1.1

        I pay into a compulsory system called “tax”. I don’t expect to see anything back.
        Agreed on means-testing pensions. I know relatives who are still working at aged 65 and getting the pension.

        We’d be much better giving the dosh to students to give them a kick start in life

        • Lanthanide 4.1.1.1

          “We’d be much better giving the dosh to students to give them a kick start in life”
           
          Alternatively, one would hope that these people who are 65, getting the pension and working, would be saving the pension for their later years when they won’t be working and their health might pack up.

    • KJT 4.2

      What was wrong with the surcharge?

      This is a mantra. “We cannot afford superannuation” which has been repeated so long and so often that even those who should know better repeat it.

      And what did Government’s do with the more than a million, in today’s dollars, I paid in tax that they cannot afford to pay me a small proportion on retirement.

      Do we really want to return to the days when most elderly people were totally impoverished when their working lives ended.

      In fact super has been so effective in removing poverty amongst the elderly it should be extended to everyone in the form of a guaranteed minimum income. There is now excuse for having people with inadequate food and housing in a country which is capable of supplying an excess of both internally.

      Super and other benefits are easily affordable if those who get the most benefit from our society paid their fair share.

      We are fast becoming a country which does not look after its children, the sick or the old.

      What does that say about us?

      • RedLogix 4.2.1

        The single most cogent comment on this topic ever!

        • onsos 4.2.1.1

          Agreed; the welfare of the elderly in this country should be an example to the world, not a dirty secret. They’re doing all right, and I’m okay with that.

          • terryg 4.2.1.1.1

            hear hear! KJT wins this weeks internet. Clear, concise, cogent & completely correct.

  5. ZeeBop 5

    Commodities are high globally. NZ dollar is a buy. We export more than we import. Why so we have poor economics, poor savings habits both private and government, because we have a poor policy debate that allow the few to wreck havoc and claim they can solve the crisis. We don’t have a age social security crisis. Its all a bureaucrat gimmick. If its harder for pensioners then they will find ways to adapt like any age group. They will share accommodation. They will employee each other part-time. They will use the amassed wealth to vote in governments that keep their old age liveable. Its will never become a crisis. We can afford to look after everyone, its just as divide and conquer strategy to separate national wealth from kiwis and hand it over to the global international trading markets. We don’t have a problem with money in NZ, we have a government who won’t raise taxes on exporters, or get exporters to pay their fair share of tax.
    Citizens should be able to afford to buy milk if milk is our national export, that’s just wrong.
    Sure if the people who got into debt are the one who can’t afford milk, but no its not them,
    its hard working lower and middle class people just trying to live the dream.

  6. JaJ 6

    A very lucid post and absolutely spot on. People can save a bit more of their income to make up for the loss of 2 years superannuation easily enough.

    • Colonial Viper 6.1

      People can save a bit more of their income to make up for the loss of 2 years superannuation easily enough.

      You must mean all those people who aren’t already living on the bones of their ass, eating catfood, or maybe those who got handed $100-$200 p.w. tax cuts by National? I’m sure they would add to their savings quite OK.

      • JaJ 6.1.1

        Most people aren’t living on the bones of their ass for the entire duration of their life.

  7. Tammy Gordon 7

    I’ll vote for any party that doesn’t make me wear matching grey jumpers with the old fat, bald guy when I’m retired.

  8. Bunji 8

    What about setting retirement age as a set proportion of adult life. So when you’re 18, and your life expectancy is another ~64 years, and you might be expected to work 75% of them, or 48 years (to age 66). As life expectancy goes up or down it would remain fair. After all, originally retirement age was set at 100% of life expectancy…

    If you wanted to get extra fair you could in theory give people personal retirement ages at 18 based on their personal life expectancy by taking ethnicity, gender & parental wealth into account, but that would no doubt be all too bureaucratic in practice.

  9. The Voice of Reason 9

    Much as I hate to be pedantic, it’s worth pointing that the post, the Herald headline (but not the Herald article) and a few of the comments seem to be under the impression that there is such a thing as ‘the retirement age’ in NZ. There isn’t. Nobody can be forced to retire, though Brash should be encouraged in that direction for the good of the nation.
     
    What is actually meant is the ‘pension age’, a totally different concept. The arrival of the pension allows the consideration of retirement, depending on personal circumstances. Nobody still paying off a mortgage is likely to think the pittance the pension provides is sufficient to give up working.
     
    I’d suggest that rather than lifting it to 67, we have a good hard look at why it isn’t already lower. If capitalism is so shit hot, how come it isn’t 60? Or 55?
     
    Eddie, why do you think it neccesary to screw more work from older folk and remove a earned benefit and a promisedvfinancial option from these people who have already spent half a century building this country through their labour and their taxes? Shouldn’t we socialists be advocating the very opposite position?
     

    • Herodotus 9.1

      The Kiwisaver will stop any party from increasing the age. How could Labour campaign to increase the age when they have attacked Nat for charges in the scheme this. Whilst I do go with a review with an increase in age. Yet them many who have joined this scheme will see that this age will increase as the cost to the govt increases and that then KS becomes a dog, in that we all pay into it and as the age increase fewer receive the benefit.
      There is also the issue of savings result in a decrease in value as tax and inflation mean the principle amount goes down in value. Lok at retirees currently with a few dollars in the bank- the value of their savings diminishes,so why would someone leave $ in the bank, this then just increases the idea of property as an investment and the cycle continues

    • lefty 9.2

      Well said Voice of Reason.

      We should be concentrating on running an economy that can provide for people to retire at 60, or earlier, rather than giving up and continuing to raise the age.

      Its not about building fancy retirement investment funds that profit from stealing workers labour and pillaging third world economies, or increasing savings, or raising the age of retirement, or some sort of degrading testing to work out whether you are physically fucked enough to give a pension to.

      Its about running a fair and sustainable economy to serve the needs of the people, including the need to sit back and put your feet up for a few years before you die.

      And its not that hard to do – we managed to pay my father, and his father before him, a pension when they turned 60. Then the bloody labour party introduced neo liberal economics and since then we supposedly can’t afford any of things that make up a civilised society.

      Nor should we be fooled by the baby boomer bulge rhetoric. Productivity gains in the last few decades more than compensate for the changing ratio of retirees. Its just that we are to busy giving all the benefits to a few rich bastards rather than sharing them.

      If capitalism can’t cut it then its time to discard it.

      • Colonial Viper 9.2.1

        If capitalism can’t cut it then its time to discard it.

        +1

        This is not a financial crisis.

        This is a crisis of that now broken system known as capitalism.

        Broken by whom? Broken by those who are so greedy that they can’t allow themselves to settle for a few million dollars in wealth, they want more, more, more with no end, even if it means crushing the life out of entire peoples, cities and countries.

  10. Tiger Mountain 10

    Well re-framed Voice. What did happen to those paperless offices, 35 hour weeks on full pay, flying cars and delicious work life balance?

    Bugger, the futurists forgot to tell us that utopia only applied to the ‘few’, the Filthy Few as I call Shonkey and his mates, no disrespect to the motorcycle club of the same name.

    The tendency of the rate of profit to fall over time is true in reality as much as most economists try to say otherwise or ignore it. That is why the captialist keep tightening the screws down and the many work harder or not at all.

    • The Voice of Reason 10.1

      “What did happen to those paperless offices, 35 hour weeks on full pay, flying cars and delicious work life balance?”
       
      I’m told you can get number’s one and four across the ditch, TM. Plus a 12% pension contribution. NactM do have a paperless office strategy, however. It appears to consist of removing the need for filing cabinets by moving the workforce onto the dole queue.
       
      And in the future, I guarantee the flying cars are actually going to be usurped by steam punk style personal dirigibles or my name’s not George Jetson.

    • Colonial Viper 10.2

      35 hours per week? Nay my friend, I think the next goal has to be 4 day work weeks, 32 hours per week, 3 day weekends as standard, and able to make a decent living wage with that.

      Would require an hourly rate of $18-$20.

  11. What about rejecting this whole beat up of ‘no money’? As Standardistas have proven, labour productivity has shot up in the last decades while labour’s share of that has not gone up, in fact its gone down, so that the share of wages is falling way behind the share of profits. So let those who have taken the lion’s share of the surplus as profits be taxed to provide for the retirement of workers whose value they accumulated as profits during their working lives. Making workers work longer under these conditions is just prolonging the exploitation and shortening the years that workers should live to enjoy their retirement. From the bosses’ perspective of course it screws more surplus from workers over their lifetimes, and reduces their liability to contribute more of their profits to the well being of workers and their families.

  12. Vicky32 12

    This is something I never thought I would ever say… I’ve been unemployed for 3 years now, managing on casual work until I was told by Housing NZ that I am not permitted to do it. Neither of my parents lived to be 65, and I am still 8 years off… but I hope I do make it! (I gather my chances of getting a proper job drop every year, so National Super is my only hope of getting off UB). Another year to wait, and I may end up doing as my parents, all but one grandparent and both my brothers (younger than me!) did and saving the taxpayer the cost of the pension, by dying first. I laughed at my ex when he said 25 years ago, that he just couldn’t wait! (He’s an official OAP now, being much older than me). I still don’t know what he was thinking (he was only 40 and earning phone numbers) but personally, it’s my only way out! 🙁

  13. vto 13

    There is another course of action….

    Means / asset test it. I resent supporting oldies who are wealthy enough to not need the pension. And I have never understood their argument that they paid their taxes all their life etc etc…. because they bloody didn’t. They bloody voted in Muldoon for example, and many others, who have canned super schemes to use the money elsewhere. i.e. they have voted in govts who have pissed it up against the wall.

    Or, how about this course of action – combo raising the age AND means / asset test it.

    Bloody chicken shit debate. It is all about greed and votes. Reflects poorly on those involved. Brings them down in line with the rest of humanity..

  14. SHG 14

    “Will any party have the courage to take on super?”

    No.

  15. I find that the majority of those who want to raise the pension are the one’s who have had nice sit down jobs.I’m yet to find anybody who labours on the roads or is a farm workers or other hard graft manial workers, who want to stay till they are 67/70 .No its fat paper shufflers who are demanding this change of supporting the raising of the pension.A few more years at work will not affect them .
    I believe that it would be better to lower the age of eligibility to 60, however allowing a person to stay at work but with no pension if they wish.
    This would open the job market to younger workers thus reducing the unemployment figures ,Which is a far more burden on the taxpayer with far more serious consequences than the Super payout. Compulsory Super saving would enable this to be possible.

    • weka 15.1

      Maori are also disproportionately penalised by raising the age for the pension because they die younger and earn less over their lifetimes than non-Maori (or pakeha at least).

      I agree it would be better to offer incentives to people who can stay in employment rather than force the whole population to.

  16. Justaminute 16

    No, it’s not fair to raise the age of eligibility for Government superannuation, and nor is it fair to means test the superannuation benefit. Higher tax rates for employed persons also collecting super. is definitely, however, an option to consider.

    What about those who have worked for fifty years in physically demanding positions, whose bodies can no longer handle the stresses and strains of their work? What about those whose brains just can’t keep up? It’s not their fault, for goodness’ sake! Many of them hate to give up an occupation they love.

    And what about those who are lucky enough to be valued by their employer and have relatively stress-free occupations, just a job that needs to be done? In my experience, the employer finds it difficult to replace these people, as younger and more dynamic men and women want more of a challenge, offering more opportunities and greater financial rewards.

    The Govt.Super should be available to all who attain the age of 65. Superannuitants pay tax on their benefits, those who are still working pay tax on their salaries as well; those with particularly high incomes are probably paying tax enough to support several others. Give everyone the choice!

    Disclaimer: I’ll be seventy this year, still working (part time) in IT, and also collecting my Govt. Super – which is taxed, I might add, at a higher rate, as it should be. My partner, who is almost 75, welcomed retirement at 65, as he was a manual worker, and the physical contortions and stresses that accompanied his work made it impossible to continue doing a job he loved. Yes, I am one of the fortunate few. My employer is ‘grey-friendly’, accommodates my needs in the workplace, and when I tried to retire some time ago, made it clear that my presence was still wanted around the place. Everyone should have such a choice – retire and live if they wish on a limited budget and Govt. Super, or keep working and be taxed fairly (heavily?) while collecting both salary and super.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T16:33:37+00:00