Brown Peter: General Debate 
Brown Peter: General Debate 
[Volume:632;Page:3785] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I am delighted to follow the member Winnie Laban because I know she is a member of her word and I was absolutely delighted by what she had to say for the older people in this country. I am going to offer her another challenge and I have no doubt that she will take it up because it is written in the confidence and supply agreement between New Zealand First and the Government. I will read the bullet point that refers to it: “Investigate ways to improve options for senior citizens who may be eligible for foreign pensions as well as New Zealand Superannuation.” New Zealand First has had that concern for quite some time along with other concerns that affect the elderly—like increasing superannuation which was done at our behest recently and like the introduction of a golden age card which will be in place by about this time next year. Asset testing is an issue that New Zealand First took up when it was in coalition with National. Now we will play hardball on this issue. Now we are prepared to step up our campaign to address it. 
Let me explain to the House what happens. Under section 70 of the legislation the chief executive of the Ministry of Social Development has discretionary powers to determine what overseas pensions are able to be deducted from New Zealand superannuation before it is received. We believe that in many cases the chief executive officer is getting it wrong and as a result it has become punitive and unfair. We are talking about 50000 people in this country. Those 50000 people have paid their taxes and made a positive contribution to New Zealand society and indeed to societies somewhere else in the world. It is so ridiculous and unfair and I will alert the House to one situation. 
We know of a lady who married an American. She lived in America for some time but for most of her life she has lived here and paid taxes here. The American—her husband—worked in America and he paid into a private scheme that was administered by the Government. As a result he receives a pension. As a result she gets zilch—absolutely nothing; not a cent; not a brass razoo. She worked in this country for something like 19 years. 
Jill Pettis 
: But she gets New Zealand superannuation. 
PETER BROWN 
: She does not get superannuation because she is married to an American who gets superannuation. He invested his own money but because it was a Government scheme his wife does not qualify. If they divorced she would get New Zealand superannuation in her own right. I ask members whether that makes sense. Is that fair? The answer has to be that it is not only unfair but also it is downright crazy. 
New Zealand First is determined to address this issue. There are other people in similar circumstances but that is the most ludicrous one that we have heard of for quite some time. We know that there must be a clear distinction between State pensions contributed to overseas and here but it does not make sense for us to allow people to save through Kiwibank which is a State entity and receive superannuation but if people do the same thing in the UK or the USA or if their spouses do the same thing their superannuation entitlements here will be reduced. We know that the Minister is undertaking a review of this we are hopeful that the results of that review will be forthcoming in the not too distant future and we hope they will be positive. 
My colleague asked the Minister of Finance a number of questions this very afternoon and I have to say that whilst the Minister’s answers were encouraging they were not categoric. They did not actually address the issue as we believe it should be addressed. New Zealand First is going to play hardball on this. We believe that the 50000 people I have referred to are entitled to a fair go. We are not advocating double-dipping; we are not advocating that people should get something they are not entitled to or that they have not contributed to; but we are claiming that if people have paid into a scheme overseas with private money they are entitled to some return on that.