NZ First chases senior vote

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: New Zealand First is reaching out to the constituency that could decide its fate in this year's election - trumpeting a Budget move to give senior citizens free off-peak public transport and pledging to further raise superannuation payments.

Leader Winston Peters made his push for the senior vote in a speech to Grey Power's annual meeting in Christchurch yesterday, shortly before departing for Europe in his role as Foreign Minister.

Mr Peters revealed next month's Budget would contain funding to ensure holders of the SuperGold discount card he launched last year would be able to travel free on buses, trains and ferries at off-peak times.

Little detail is available yet on how the system will work.

Officials are still working through that and more information appears likely to come in the May 22 Budget.

However, the cost to the Government of the free off-peak transport is understood to be around $18 million a year and it is intended to be available nationwide.

The SuperGold card drew some criticism when it was launched for offering little in the way of useful discounts for senior citizens, but Mr Peters defended it yesterday and said he was still working to try to secure electricity rebates for card holders.

"It is only the beginning, as we said at the launch," he said.

"And we will keep working on this initiative, despite the knockers, because it is right to give something back."

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee described the idea of free public transport for senior citizens as "laudable", but said he did not want to say too much more until he saw details of how it would work.

Mr Lee said the first he knew of the announcement was a very late tip that Mr Peters was going to say something about public transport.

Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said the idea was a good one. But "we have to invest in much more frequent, more reliable and more comfortable services if a lot of older people are going to be able to use it".

Outside the public transport move, Mr Peters also said yesterday that he would continue to try to get superannuation raised towards New Zealand First's target of 72.5 per cent of the net average wage in any post-election negotiations.

Payments are now at a level of 66 per cent after Mr Peters secured a rise from around 63 per cent as part of his confidence and money supply agreement with Labour in 2005.

Should New Zealand First reappear in Parliament after this year's election, Mr Peters made it clear he would be pushing for his next agreement to get the superannuation level up to "at least 68 per cent" of the net average wage.

 

WINSTON'S PITCH TO THE AGED

• Free off-peak public transport on buses, ferries and trains.
  
• A funding boost for hearing aids in the Budget.
  
• A push to get superannuation up to at least 68 per cent of the net average wage, from the current 66 per cent. Pledge to make this a central part of any future NZ First confidence and money supply agreement.