Bennett Paula: New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Amendment Bill War Pensions Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Bennett Paula: New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Amendment Bill War Pensions Amendment Bill — Third Readings 
[Sitting date: 20 October 2009. Volume:658;Page:7302. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 I move  
That the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Amendment Bill and the War Pensions Amendment Bill be now read a third time 
. It is with pleasure that I see the third reading of these bills going through. The bills fulfil the National Government’s commitment to ensure that older New Zealanders have more freedom to decide where they live or travel in their retirement. The bills will achieve that aim by making amendments to the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001 and the War Pensions Act 1954. New Zealand superannuation and veterans pensions can be paid overseas depending on where a superannuitant or veterans pensioner intends to go for how long and for what purpose. New Zealand has reciprocal social security agreements with other countries including Australia Canada Greece the Netherlands Jersey Denmark Ireland and the UK. Special provisions also allow payments to people heading off to live in most Pacific countries. Outside of those countries there are payment provisions called “general portability”. The amendments in the legislation relate solely to the general portability provisions and will not affect New Zealand social security agreements or the provisions for Pacific countries. 
Today’s retirees are different: they have worked longer and they are more active than ever before. After a lifetime of working and dutifully paying taxes they want more out of their golden years than just sitting in a rocking chair waiting for  
Coronation Street 
 to start. If they travel they do not necessarily want to be stuck on a package tour through Europe—21 countries in 30 days—in a bus just to have to get back in time to pick up their pension. Today’s retirees are not content to be regaled with the adventure tales of their grandchildren. They want their own stories; they want their own OE. 
The general portability provisions have prevented many superannuitants and veterans pensioners from moving to the country of their choice or travelling for a long time overseas. The bills will change that situation. The key change is a new payment rate. Instead of receiving the current flat 50 percent of the domestic rate a superannuitant or veterans pensioner will be able to receive up to the full rate of a New Zealand superannuation or veterans pension depending on how long the person has resided in New Zealand between the ages of 20 and 65 years. I must agree with the Hon Annette King who said how much discussion went into what the formula should be. Much work has been done on that and it has been carefully thought out in the name of fairness. There continues to be no entitlement to any additional payment for a non-qualified spouse or partner or for a living alone payment. 
The second change is that the legislation will free up the rules restricting the ability for those on superannuation and the veterans pension to move around once they go overseas. The legislation will allow for the payment of New Zealand superannuation and the veterans pension to those who wish to reside in more than one country with which New Zealand has no social security agreement whether they remain in the country they first move to or whether they move to other countries once they are overseas. It also allows for the payment of superannuation and the veterans pension to those on superannuation and the veterans pension who leave New Zealand to travel to or in another country or between any two countries for more than 26 weeks but who do not reside as such outside New Zealand. 
In conclusion I reiterate that this legislation is part of this Government’s commitment to ensuring that older New Zealanders are free to decide where they wish to reside or to travel in their retirement. This legislation also acknowledges that New Zealand is part of a global community and that our older people are most certainly a part of that global community. It also ensures that our retirees come from many countries and regions of the world and have the freedom to travel around. I commend this legislation to the House.