Labour leader Chris Hipkins said raising the superannuation age would be "unfair" on some workers. Photo: NZ Herald/Jason Dorday
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says it would be "very, very unfair" on some workers to lift the age of superannuation.
Business New Zealand has called on both major political parties to agree to gradually lift the age of eligibility for superannuation.
The group's Director of Advocacy Catherine Beard told Radio New Zealand that a 65 year threshold is not sustainable.
In a speech to National Party members in Upper Hutt on Sunday, National leader Christopher Luxon hinted his party would once again campaign on raising the superannuation age, but said the party would set out their approach closer to the election.
But Hipkins told Morning Report that it would significantly impact workers on low incomes, especially those who had undertaken hard physical work.
"By 65 their bodies are worn out, and then to tell them 'sorry, we are not going to fund superannuation until a later date,'
"That would be very, very unfair on them."
Hipkins said there were a lot of areas around retirement generally where there was room for political agreement.
He said it was good to see National focusing on KiwiSaver - it announced it wanted to raise default worker and employment contributions over time - even if he believed the plan was "rushed" and left many questions unanswered.
Hipkins told Morning Report Labour was working on its own KiwiSaver policy and it would be released in time.
While Labour broadly supported increasing contributions to KiwiSaver, the savings scheme needed a comprehensive plan to iron out issues especially for low income workers
"If someone on a low income finds a three percent contribution too big a hurdle, then a six percent contribution could be impossible."
Labour would also focus on the issue of employers using total remuneration packages, he said.
That system involves an employee being told a certain amount of money is available to them and they can make their KiwiSaver contributions out of that, or use it as take-home pay.
It has been highlighted as an issue by the Retirement Commission.
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