Prasad Rajen: Social Assistance (Payment of New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans Pension Overseas) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Prasad Rajen: Social Assistance (Payment of New Zealand Superannuation and Veterans Pension Overseas) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:653;Page:2244] 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD (Labour) 
: 
 It is my pleasure to rise and speak in support of the Social Assistance (Payment of New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension Overseas) Amendment Bill. 
Paul Quinn 
: Bated breath! 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: Well bated breath is not too bad I say to Mr Quinn. If the member does listen he will soon understand very clearly why I support this bill and it might be very different from that member’s understanding of my reasoning. 
I support this bill primarily because it is pro-family. It sets out to understand what is happening to the modern family and it continues to put together a whole series of policies from when Labour was in Government. Labour will continue to support every such idea that comes from the Government regarding this bill. It is also pleasing to support this bill because it is a Labour bill and no amount of criticising its time frame takes that away. 
Paul Quinn 
: Keep it clean! 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: It does not take it away as that member will soon realise. The bill delivers on Labour’s pro-family commitment which is longstanding and can be seen in the purpose of this bill. The member may smile at that but we certainly can argue that point with him. 
This bill primarily modernises an aspect of New Zealand superannuation in response to the changing nature of life for our citizens who are over 65 years of age. It takes a little bit of thinking through to really appreciate the changing nature of New Zealand families and what that might mean for a series of social policies that are designed to support our families at various stages of their lives. This particular bill certainly supports families at the tail end of their lives post their working phase. If members consider for a moment the changes that have been taking place in the New Zealand family—which are not atypical in terms of the changes that families globally are facing as well—then the first thing to realise is that our families in the 21st century are globalised. They come from many different places and they have many different connections. If we understand the changing nature of New Zealand families and the changing nature of New Zealand society in terms of its ethnic diversification then in the future many of our older people will be from different ethnicities with strong connections to different parts of the world. They live here because they love this country and they have contributed to it. But it does not mean they have discarded their relationships with their old countries or do not want to ever go back there. What precludes them—it has precluded some I know—from going back there are the problems that this particular bill sets out to address. 
We have an ageing population so soon there will be more and more people in this particular stage of their lives. Life expectancy increases for all kinds of reasons—that happens. This population is increasing and therefore people’s needs and their interests both here and globally become particularly important. They do become very very important players in the globalised world. Families now live at the same time in a number of countries. My mother lives in Vancouver and she is 90 years of age. I am one of 14 children all over the world whom she is able to travel to see and spend time with. 
Paul Quinn 
: Does that mean you’re going to be 90? 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: Well my mother will be pleased to see Mr Quinn as well if he would like when she comes here. The member might find it very very useful to meet somebody who is a beneficiary of a similar provision elsewhere. My mother is able to travel knowing that she has the comfort of being financially secure because she is able to take her own pensions with her. 
Families live concurrently in a number of countries and they have connections to a number of countries. As family members grow older their grandchildren are now living in other countries and many of these families of ours in retirement want to go and live with their families overseas and to spend time with their grandchildren—and for a significant proportion of time as well. Therefore I find it difficult to understand why the Minister for Social Development and Employment would find it difficult to understand the motivation behind many of our superannuitants who want to take advantage of this particular— 
Hon Paula Bennett 
: What a load of rubbish! I’m bringing the bill in! So obviously I’m supportive of it. I just said New Zealand was beautiful and I think that New Zealand rocks. 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: The Minister says that this is about driving combivans and living in the Pitcairn Islands—that is a cynical approach to the needs of our families. In time the Minister will understand what this is about. The Minister can crow as much as she likes but it is about trying to understand our families. The Minister shows no understanding of the changing nature of New Zealand families and how indeed this provision might address that. 
 Perhaps the Minister might be generous and at least acknowledge that that indeed is what this bill tries to do. Those are the kinds of provisions. It is very easy to talk about a provision in cynical terms. There is nothing cynical about this set of provisions. This is serious business. This bill was well-designed and well-thought-out and it addresses an aspect of New Zealand society at the present time. Indeed maybe it will be our mothers and our relatives who will take advantage of this. This measure is about understanding the importance of the ability to travel and to go and live somewhere else and perhaps more important than anything else to spend time with grandchildren and be of assistance to them at a time when families require that type of support. It is grandparents—and great-grandparents of course—who are able to provide that kind of support. But what precludes grandparents from doing so—apart from anything to do with distance—is believing that they would have to live overseas without financial support or security of income. Then the possibility evaporates. These provisions enable families to go and live with their loved ones support them and still be comfortable themselves. 
As I said in the last 20 years many many such families have migrated to New Zealand. They have made New Zealand a great society. They have increased our diversity. They have played an important part in our society as well but they have retained links to where they have come from and they do want to go back. The bill provides portability to superannuitants and to holders of the veterans pension who live in countries that have no agreement with New Zealand in terms of the reciprocity of social security benefits. 
As I have said it is likely that this will be a growing list of countries—some of which we might not have imagined a few years ago. I think it is timely to address this particular issue The bill is timely and it is responsive and many people will appreciate its introduction. But it is also urgent. It is urgent because the record of National in Government is not very good on superannuation. I remember very very well— 
Hon Paula Bennett 
: It’s going up tomorrow. 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: The Minister is not old enough to appreciate the point so perhaps she might want to listen. Then she might appreciate the point through research or through listening. This may be a time for members opposite to listen. There was a period in the early 1970s— 
Paul Quinn 
: This is unbecoming of you! 
Dr RAJEN PRASAD 
: I think Mr Quinn should listen and appreciate the fact that when all of us were enabled to open an account in our own names in our New Zealand superannuation system it was one of the greatest things that New Zealand society did. If allowed to carry on it would indeed have given this country a huge resource base in terms of financial capital. The National Party actually succeeded in telling the electorate that this would be used to socialise every aspect of New Zealand society and when coupled with the racist browning idea of New Zealand society that was promoted at the same time the then Muldoon Government in one fell swoop took this away. We have suffered ever since. We now have a multiparty accord and there are signs that the Government wants to tinker with that as well. The Government cannot be trusted on superannuation and therefore this becomes quite urgent as well.