Political parties stay split on retirement age
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
A cross-party agreement on a seniors policy is unlikely to happen after this year’s general election.
Grey Power North Canterbury president Jan Pentecost challenged candidates, at an election meeting at the Rangiora RSA Club on Tuesday, September 5, whether they would be willing to enter into a cross-party agreement after the election so seniors did not "become a political football".
But the candidates from National, Labour, Act, New Zealand First and Democracy NZ indicated this was unlikely to happen.
National Party candidate Matt Doocey said he had experience with multi party agreements through the cross party working party on mental health he established with Labour, Green, Act and Te Pāti Māori MPs.
But he had his doubts about finding common ground on seniors policy.
"We would be open to these guys coming to us and supporting raising the retirement age to 67."
National remained committed to pegging the pension to 67 percent of the average wage.
Doocey said it was "paramount on any government to reduce the cost of living", while health care was also in his sights.
"It is heartbreaking to hear the stories of seniors and young parents will have health issues in the middle of the night and they have to drive past the Rangiora Health Hub and head into the city for emergency care."
Labour Party candidate Dan Rosewarne said MPs ignored the over-65s at their peril.
"In the future it will be one-in-three people over age 65 and you all tend to vote, so it would be silly for anyone to run counter to that."
But he said Labour did not support National’s policy to raise the retirement age.
Rosewarne said the winter energy payment, removal of $5 prescription charges and half price public transport were all saving money for pensioners.
Removing GST on fruit and vegetables would also leave more money in their back pockets, he said.
ACT Party candidate Ross Campbell said the government needed to be "prudent" about its spending.
"When I look around the room, I can see that people are living longer, so I don’t want to look people in the eye and tell them something I can’t promise."
He said ACT supported raising the retirement age.
New Zealand First candidate Mark Arneil said his party remained committed to keeping the retirement age at 65 years.
"We are the only party looking after you and we have consistently done that, so when I look at the other parties I can see that a cross-party agreement isn’t going to happen."
Democracy NZ candidate Gordon Malcolm said his party was willing to work any party on a seniors policy.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
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Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
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