Govt rules out special treatment for Maori

The Maori Party suggested at a recent conference that NZ Superannuation should be paid to Maori from age 60 because they have a shorter life expectency than many other New Zealanders. Finance Minister Michael Cullen was asked about this in Parliament and this is his reply.

Tuesday, July 26th 2005, 9:17PM

RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) to the Minister of Finance: What would be the annual fiscal cost, both at present and in 20 years’ time, of paying New Zealand superannuation to Mâori at age 60 instead of 65?

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Minister of Finance): I am advised by Treasury that it cannot cost that accurately, because it has no breakdown by ethnicity of New Zealand superannuation payments. As the Government has no intention of introducing such a policy, I do not intend to get Treasury to engage in further work on that.

Rodney Hide: Does the Minister not see the Mâori Party’s policy of having a differential age for Mâori and non-Mâori eligibility for superannuation as just a logical extension of this Government’s closing the gaps strategy, which sees race-based differences in funding right across the board; if not, why not?

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN: No, not at all. The same logic would imply that men should get New Zealand superannuation at roughly 60, compared with women at age 65. It would imply that the unemployment benefit should be higher for Pâkehâ than Mâori, since there are fewer Pâkehâ proportionately on the unemployment benefit than there are Mâori.

Rodney Hide: Could the Minister explain the difference between extra funding for doctors’ visits, university places, and broadcasting—all based on race under this Government—and eligibility for superannuation based on race?

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN: The ethnicity element has been removed from health funding, although there are clear differences in terms of ethnicity in relation to both morbidity and mortality. The other issue is raised because of the differential life expectancy between Mâori and Pâkehâ. The answer to that is to improve Mâori health status over the long term, not to concede defeat and lower the age of eligibility for New Zealand superannuation.