Today's retirees feeling priced out of retirement
New Zealand retirees are being squeezed financially from multiple directions at once, leaving little room to move on fixed incomes, a new survey from Lifetime Retirement Income shows.
Thursday, June 18th 2026, 1:30PM
The findings reveal a broad, simultaneous strain affecting retirees across cost-of-living expenses, council rates, healthcare access and the adequacy of retirement income.
Cost of living remains the dominant concern, cited by 77% of respondents.
Lifetime Retirement Income – which helps retirees generate income to supplement New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super) – surveyed more than 700 seniors across the country earlier this year. Most respondents were aged 65 and over.
The survey makes clear this is not a single-issue problem. Five of the top six concerns are cost-related, including the cost of living (groceries, power, insurance, petrol), council rates, dental expenses, the adequacy of NZ Super and heating costs.
“Retirees are not worried about one thing – they are feeling pressure across almost every essential area of daily life,” says Lifetime Retirement Income founder and managing director Ralph Stewart.
“These pressures are translating into real hardship. Four in 10 retirees surveyed already struggle to afford council rates on a fixed income, and nearly as many say NZ Super simply doesn’t stretch far enough. The core challenge is structural: retirement income that does not keep pace with rising expenses.
“When your income is fixed and costs rise across the board, there’s no easy place to cut back. That’s a genuinely difficult position to be in.”
Healthcare and income adequacy emerge as non-negotiable priorities. Almost all respondents – 90% – rate access to timely healthcare as important or essential, while 83% say the same about NZ Super keeping pace with costs. Even aged-care affordability, which often feels more distant, scores strongly, with 64% rating it four or five out of five.
Fear for families too
Retirees are also concerned about the financial wellbeing of younger generations, particularly the cost of living for young families, housing affordability, and job opportunities.
“This generational concern has real implications for retirement planning,” Stewart says.
“Retirees who feel a responsibility to support their whānau may face tension between preserving capital for family and meeting their own income needs.”
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