The majority of New Zealanders are against changing the age of New Zealand Superannuation eligibility, despite claims it is unsustainable for future generations.
In the latest Colmar Brunton Poll, 68 per cent of respondents wanted the current eligibility age of 65 to remain the same, 18 per cent wanted it to rise and 12 per cent wanted it lowered. Don’t know – 2%
The groups more likely than average to want eligibility to remain the same were people living in Otago or Southland, people aged 60-69, New Zealand Europeans and women 55 and over.
The groups more likely than average to want it raised were people aged over 70, Wellingtonians and people with yearly income averages between $100K-$150K. Those more likely to want it lowered below 65 were Asian New Zealanders, Pacific peoples and people aged 40-49.
Support for the current age of 65 has risen. The Colmar Brunton Poll back in March 2017 found 59 per cent wanted eligibility to stay the same and 28 per cent wanted it raised. That poll was conducted after the previous National Government proposed raising the age to 67 by 2040.
The debate over changing the Superannuation age has been ongoing.
Economist Cameron Bagrie said the Superannuation age "has got to go up".
"What we’re seeing in the poll, it’s classic self-interest. Turkeys don’t vote for an early Christmas.
"There’s an inevitability if you look at the numbers… We’re going to see slower growth and more people clipping the New Zealand Superannuation ticket. Healthcare costs are going to keep going up, so at some stage we’re going to have to bite the bullet – the question is, when? The longer we leave it, the bigger those hard choices are going to be."
He said future options may have to be raising taxes, cutting back in areas such as education and policing or raising the retirement age.
'There are a lot of people out there earning six figure sums through various investments, why should they be entitled to NZ Superannuation? That sort of money should be diverted… we’ve got teachers crying out for better pay conditions."
Former retirement commissioner Diane Maxwell said any alterations to the Superannuation age need to be looked at in the age range between 50 and 70, instead of just raising it from 65 to 67.
"NZ Super is an important part of who we are. It needs to be sustainable, and to be sustainable we need to be prepared to make some changes. We reach 65 in very different shape physically and financially. Our fifties can be an important time to earn, pay down the mortgage and save hard but we know that ageism in the workplace can impact our ability to do that," she said.
"We need Government and industry to deliver tailored skills training for those wanting to work where the demand for their skill set has changed. For people in physically demanding jobs who reach 65 unable to work, we need government support."
Ms Maxwell said means testing was another option but came with complications.
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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49.5% Yes
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48.6% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Here's Thursday's thinker!
I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Why make picking up reserved library books harder? What do you think? Challenge: Write the last stanza for the first poem attached below.
Once books are reserved in Auckland Libraries books, when they are available no longer go alphabetically by customer but instead go into a Holds pickup shelf number based presumably somehow on when each book needs to be picked up by.
I had two books reserved that arrived on two different days in the Blockhouse Bay Library and hence each book has a different shelf number. Hard to find unless you knew the shelf number in the notification email. Even if you knew the shelf number I found myself three books by the same author on the two shelf numbers.
More recently yesterday a book I reserved was on a different shelf number than was specified in my notification email (see image below).
Sadly it is clear from library staff that a numerical system for reserves is here to stay.
I suggest that so that all books for each person has the same shelf number, the shelf number becomes the last digit of a person's library card (0-9).
Within each shelf number a book is found under the day the reserve arrives in the library (01 to 31, hopefully the same date the email is sent).
Since a customer appears to have 10 days to pick up a book, ten days of the month would appear to be required at any time (for each digit 0-9).
Once there are 10 days used the next day's reserves could go back at the beginning of the shelf number after any remaining books not collected (hopefully none) are removed (along with the old day number and the new day number (01 to 31) inserted) after the last day available and future days' books remaining moved forward to make room.
Each day number (01-31) would appear once for each shelf number (0-9) before the first book on that day- perhaps cover an old withdrawn book with paper with each day number on the spine?
When a reserved book arrives in the library the last digit of the library card could be placed on a piece of paper in the book to be removed when it is put on the shelf, to be recycled the next day.
What do you think?
See the image below and page 3 below for a letter appearing in the Western Leader on 9 September:
www.neighbourly.co.nz...
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