Raising the level of New Zealand Superannuation payments is likely to be added to the list of tasks tackled by Parliament under urgency this week.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has written to finance minister Michael Cullen offering to abstain on an urgency motion for taxation, ACC and the proposed anti-party hopping bill, if there is a commitment to reinstate NZ Super to 65 per cent by April 1. (Click here to read his letter).
Under the now dormant Superannuation Accord NZ Super was to be set somewhere between 65 per cent and 72.5 per cent of the average wage. However, the previous Government decided, without consultation, to lower the rate.
NZ First's decision to abstain on the urgency package gives the Labour/Alliance Coalition a majority. It will have 59 votes against 56 votes from the National, ACT, Greens, and United parties combined.
A spokesperson for the Finance Minister, Michael Cullen, said if that was the only condition from New Zealand First, then it was government policy, so the government would have no problem meeting that condition.
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