The Government will progressively lift the age of eligibility for NZ Superannuation from 65 to 67, starting in 20 years' time, Prime Minister Bill English announced today.

'New Zealanders are healthier and living longer so adjusting the long-term settings of NZ Super while there is time for people to adapt is the right thing to do,” Mr English says.

The changes will be phased in from 1 July 2037 and will not affect anyone born on or before 30 June 1972.

Even after the change, someone who retires at age 67 in 2040 is likely to receive NZ Super for longer than someone who retires at age 65 today. That is because average life expectancy is increasing by about 1.3 years each decade.

The change will be legislated for next year.

'This Government has a strong track record of supporting older New Zealanders. Since 2008 weekly payments to superannuitants have increased by 35 per cent after tax while inflation has increased by 14 per cent.

'Gradually increasing the retirement age from 2037 will more fairly spread the costs and benefits of NZ Super between generations, ensure the scheme remains affordable into the future and give people time to adjust,” Mr English says.

'It will also bring New Zealand into line with other countries like Australia, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany and the United States which are all moving to a retirement age of 67.”

There will be no change to the universality or indexation of NZ Super.

Mr English says the Government is announcing the change now so that political parties can debate superannuation transparently in the lead-up to the election.

On 1 April 1992, the qualifying age was increased from 60 years to 61 years. The qualifying age was then increased by three months every six months from 1 April 1993, until it was fixed at 65 years from 1 April 2001.

Finance Minister Steven Joyce says progressively lifting the age of entitlement to New Zealand Superannuation from 65 to 67 is the responsible and fair thing to do for New Zealand,

"Average life expectancy is increasing by around 1.3 years each decade and more older people are staying in the workforce,” says Steven.

'Greater life expectancy is of course positive but it does drive up the cost of NZ Super. While New Zealand has a more affordable scheme than most countries, the increasing costs would require

future trade-offs – either restricting spending increases in areas like health and education, or increasing taxes.”

The Government intends to increase the age of entitlement for NZ Super by six months each year from July 2037 until it reaches 67 in July 2040. This means everyone born on or after 1 January 1974 will be eligible for NZ Super from age 67.

Other settings such as indexing NZ Super to the average wage and universal entitlement without means testing will remain unchanged; and the age that KiwiSaver funds can be accessed will remain at 65.

'Making a change over a reasonable timeframe will give future generations of New Zealanders more choice as to how they allocate their government spending,” says Steven.

"While others have called for an earlier transition, the Government's view is that giving 20 years' notice balances timeliness with being fair to current generations of working New Zealanders.”

Average life expectancy in New Zealand has increased by 12 years over the past 60 years, including by four years since 2001, when the age for NZ Super was increased to 65.

'When the age was set at 65 in 2001, a retiree could expect to spend about a fifth of their life receiving NZ Super. That has since increased to around a quarter,” says Steven. 'Following this change, those eligible for NZ Super at 67 in 2040 can still expect to receive it for a quarter of their life on average.”

The Government's previous position of not changing the age of eligibility was appropriate in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, when New Zealanders were looking for certainty at a time when the Government's finances were under pressure.

The Government is also proposing to double the residency requirements for NZ Super so that applicants must have lived in New Zealand for 20 years, with five of those after the age of 50. People who are already citizens or residents will remain eligible under the existing rules.

The Government intends to introduce legislation to make these changes early in 2018. The residency changes will cover people who arrive in New Zealand after the legislation is passed.

"These changes are important and need to be politically durable,” says Steven. "Scheduling the legislation in this way gives all political parties the opportunity to discuss their position with the public before it comes before Parliament."

The proposed changes to the age of eligibility and the residency requirements are estimated to save the Government in excess of 0.6 per cent of GDP or $4.0 billion annually once the changes are fully in place.

Included in the legislation will be provision for parliamentary consideration of any need for any temporary transition requirements in 2030.

"It is not possible yet to determine what, if any, temporary support will be needed for people who are unable to continue working beyond the age of 65,” says Steven.

'Considering any requirements in 2030 will give a future parliament the opportunity to consider current information on health and labour market trends of different groups as the age change approaches."

How it will work:

• The age will lift to 67 in 2040.
• The changes will not affect anyone born before June 1972.*
• The law will be changed next year - after the election.
• There will be no changes to the indexation or universality of super.
• Access to Kiwisaver will remain at 65.
• The Government is also planning to double the residency requirements, so that applicants will need to have lived here for 20 years, rather than 10. Five of those years need to have been after the age of 50.