Vote now: Should the retirement age be raised?

8:08 AM Thursday Jul 26, 2012

Digital image / P.K. Stowers

The majority of top business leaders in the country say it's time to raise the age of eligibility for New Zealand Super - but it's not something the Prime Minister is prepared to entertain.

At last weekend's National Party conference John Key again refused to raise the age, saying he'd made a campaign promise not to do so and would resign before altering his stance.

But with eighty-eight per cent of CEOs responding to the Herald's annual "Mood of the Boardroom Survey" insisting it's time to make Super eligibilty 67, not 65, is it time for Mr Key to take another look at the issue?

Should the retirement age be raised? Here is the latest selection of Your Views:

Hot Dog () | 01:53PM Tuesday, 12 Jun 2012

No, but National Super should be means tested.

Ashcroft (Mt Albert) | 01:53PM Tuesday, 12 Jun 2012

It is a demographic fact that our aging population is going to catch us out. Leaving this for the other guy will be John Key's legacy for the history books.

Gerry S () | 01:54PM Tuesday, 12 Jun 2012

Of course it should.

It's hypocritical to claim we can't spend extra money to invest in the future productivity of our youth and in the same breath claim we can provide for our elderly at the same rates when the costs are clearly ballooning beyond other aspects of the government budget.

It's criminal to take money away from the future productivity of youth and tell them we expect them to support us in our unproductive old age with a smile.
We're asking our youth to make their futures harder for the sake of making ours easier.

How is that fair, especially when we know they'll have even less superannuation to look forward to once they get to retirement age.

Lets at least do something about it.