Ball Darroch: Social Assistance (Portability to Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau) Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBall Darroch: Social Assistance (Portability to Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau) Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 04 November 2014. Volume:701;Page:553. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DARROCH BALL (NZ First):I rise to discuss a bill on behalf of New Zealand First for the first time in this House. I am very happy to do so with this bill the Social Assistance (Portability to Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau) Bill. New Zealand First will support this bill to go through the first reading but we are not confident that it actually addresses or goes far enough to address all of the real issues that have been raised with us by these communities. New Zealand First already has a strong policy which we have in our manifesto that stems from the same intent that this bill suggests it has. We want to be assured of the promise that is made in the bill: “The amendments in the Bill have been the subject of a long-standing request from the leaders of the Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau who view greater flexibility around pension portability as a driver for increased economic activity in those countries and that territory.” We are hoping that that promise is actually delivered because that is what New Zealand First policy would do.We also note that the bill’s explanatory note neglects to point out that the residents of those countries and the territory would still need to qualify for New Zealand superannuation and they must have been resident and present in New Zealand for more than 10 years since the age of 20 including 5 years since the age of 50. This information is pivotal to the understanding of the bill. As this bill identifies we have a unique and very special affiliation and relationship with these islands. In fact Tokelau as we have heard is a territory of New Zealand. We have a free association with these island nations where we act on behalf of these nations on defence and foreign affairs issues. It is one of these pillars of this special relationship that we hope this bill goes some way to address. Again I will quote the bill: “The changes take into account New Zealand’s close constitutional ties with the Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau and are part of New Zealand’s commitment to support their ongoing economic and social viability. The changes will allow the Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau to attract capital and skills from their citizens who have moved to New Zealand as well as other New Zealanders who may choose to spend their retirement years in either of those countries or that territory.”It appears the intent of the bill is to ensure that the people in these islands do not have to relocate when they are 65 and be here in New Zealand living as a resident in order to apply for and claim New Zealand superannuation. However we hope that during the submission period the effect on New Zealand residents and citizens who wish to retire to these islands will become clearer. Do the people of these islands still need to relocate? Will they still need to be resident in New Zealand during that time? And does it solve the real issue at all? When these people need to be in New Zealand or are required to return to New Zealand the islands lose much of the needed skill knowledge and momentum that these people bring to and invest in their nation. These nations can ill afford to lose these skills and ultimately it could still cost them. In our view this bill still hampers the need to have these skills and these professional people cemented and working in their nations. We need the flexibility with policy that will allow the value and history of our responsibility for and relationship with these nations to be rightly acknowledged.Compare this with our current situation where people from other countries that have no affiliation special history or relationship can come into our country not pay any tax for 10 years and still receive the full New Zealand superannuation. We still have current legislation that affects some of the closest Pacific nations and New Zealand territories. We put restrictions on them that do not promote success in their own economies social pathways or foreign affairs. Nor do current policies support positive progressive pathways that the Government could take in relation to the planning and retention of these essential people. In the end we are talking about a very small number of people who reside in these nations and identify these islands as their retirement choice and whom we actually need to do the right thing to look after as part of our nation’s responsibility. In fact we have a situation where 95 percent of Niuean people live in New Zealand. We are talking of a very small number compared with nearly 70000 immigrants from other countries who are in line for our full superannuation scheme.We do agree with the bill’s intent. It details and addresses the issues that mean the people who will be applying for New Zealand superannuation from these Pacific islands will not have to be in New Zealand as a resident in order to be eligible. We also support the fact that the changes go some way to take into account New Zealand’s close constitutional ties with the Cook Islands Niue and Tokelau and are part of New Zealand’s commitment to support their ongoing economic and social viability. The bill also mentions the need for the individual who applies—being someone who makes an application to be paid superannuation in a specified Pacific country—to be resident in one of those three islands on the date of the application; to meet the residential qualifications for New Zealand superannuation; and to be resident in one of those countries when each payment of the superannuation is due to be paid.We note that the purpose of this bill is stated as to allow eligible persons who reside in those nations to be able to apply from either of those nations or from a territory for New Zealand superannuation or veterans pension and be paid these benefits in either of those countries or that territory or in other specified Pacific countries. As I have stated New Zealand First supports this. It is the detail and the level to which it goes that New Zealand First hopes to be fleshed out at the select committee stage. New Zealand First will support the bill through its first reading but we will be noting through the select committee process whether it truly meets the needs of those Cooks Islanders Niueans and Tokelauans who have worked hard for New Zealand and deserve their pension.