News and media

2021

• 17 December 2021, RNZ, M.Claire Dale interviewed by Naomi Arnold on the gender pension gap and what can be done to close it.
  
• 10 December 2021, NZH, Thomas Coughlan quotes Susan St John Welfare debts pushing thousands into 'poverty trap'.
  
• 9 December 2021, The Panel with Catherine Robertson and Conor English (Part 2) Susan St John said it was time for a new lens to be applied to KiwiSaver.
  
• 8 December 2021, National Business Review, Hamish McNicol quotes Susan St John in Shifting the KiwiSaver dial: lower tax, matching contributions mooted.
  
• 8 December 2021, NZH, Tamsyn Parker in Experts divided on how to get more saving in KiwiSaver quotes Susan St John, “time for a gender and ethnicity lens to be applied to KiwiSaver”.
  
• 8 December 2021, Newstalk ZB, Susan St John joined Heather du Plessis-Allan in Calls to extend KiwiSaver contributions beyond the age of 65 for women
  
• 3 December 2021, Stuff.co.nz, Max Rashbrooke in If Luxon's looking for a new direction, he could start by investing in our kids quotes Susan St John’s proposals: increase the tax rate paid by wealthy superannuitants who are still in work, shaving $1 billion from New Zealand Super without harming anyone’s well-being.
  
• 2 December 2021, Waatea Drive, Interview on Working for Families with Dr Susan St John | Child Poverty Action Group.
  
• 27 November 2021, Daily Blog, Susan St John writes What could possibly go wrong
  
• 18 November 2021, CPAG, Susan St John & Caitlin Neuwelt-Kearns (2021) Australia and NZ tax credits for children. A 5-year comparison: July 2018- July 2023– Part 2, Rethinking Income Support for Children series next?
  
• 15 November 2021, Daily Blog, Susan St John writes Let them eat cake.
  
• 8 November 2021, Interest.co.nz, Susan St John writes Urgent reform of Working for Families needed – not tinkering.
  
• 22 October 2021, Waatea Radio, Susan St John interviewed here on Working for Families policy changes.
  
• 21 October 2021, RNZ Audio Mercer’s pensions index, Susan St John in The Panel with Andrew Hoggard and Mihingarangi Forbes (Part 2).
  
• 21 October 2021, NZH, Dialogue, Susan St John Time for bold action for children.
  
• 21 October 2021, Stuff.co.nz, Rob Stock quotes Susan St John in ‘KiwiSaver not enough: New Zealand slips in world pension ranking’
  
• 16 October 2021, NZH, Mary Holm references RPRC.
  
• 23 September 2021, Dominion Post Weekend, Northern Advocate, Taranaki Daily News, Manawatu Standard, Waikato Times, Timaru Herald, Nelson Mail, Stuff.co.nz, Southland Times, Susan St John comments on the Government’s Temporary assistance for low-income workers, saying ‘‘It doesn’t fix any-thing systemic and it’s temporary, it’s just a one-off temporary Band-Aid…21 September 2021, RNZ, Susan St John comments on retirement issues.
• 19 September 2021, Interest.co.nz, Te Wiki o te Take, The Week in Tax; Susan St John releases a paper updating an idea she'd first proposed back in 2019. It treats the pension as a basic income and then taxes pensioners’ other income at a higher rate.
  
• 7 September 2021, Taxpayers' Union NZ, Taxpayer Update: A new tax grab | Grant's confession | Super tax An Auckland University academic is promoting a new plan to offset rising superannuation costs: Susan St John wants to hike taxes on superannuants, with a 39% flat rate tax on any income additional to NZS.
  
• 6 September 2021, Stuff.co.nz, Southland Times, Timaru Herald, Waikato Times, Manawatu Standard, Taranaki Daily News, Higher tax for working pensioners: 'There's no easy solution'. Susan St John’s briefing updates work done in 2019 around Treasury’s fiscal projections for NZ Super. ‘One option would be to reduce the appeal of the pension for those with significant other sources of income.’
  
•  2 September 2021, Dominion Post, Radio NZ, Magic Talk, Stuff.co.nz, Taxing pensioners' other income at higher rate 'could be better way to make super affordable' Susan St John commented on the issue of affording to pay New Zealanders superannuation as the number of pensioners is expected to double.
• Pressure points in our policies – facing up to the ageing population, UABS Insights, 22 September, 2021
• Proposal to hike taxes on working superannuants is daft, scoop.co.nz, NZ Taxpayers Union quotes Susan St John, 2 September 2021.
  
• Taxing pensioners’ other income at higher rate ‘could be better way to make super affordable, stuff.co.nz, Susan Edmunds quotes Susan St John, 2 September 2021.
  
• Will the New Zealand Superannuation Fund really help pay the costs of the baby-boom retirement, and might there be a better approach? Interest.co.nz, Susan St John, 16 August 2021.
• COVID-19 could put women at disadvantage, www.lifetimeincome.co.nz, quoting M.Claire Dale and Susan St John, 3 August 2021.
• Housing is Labour’s Achilles’ Heel, interest.co.nz, Susan St John, 30 July 2021.  
• Tax on all housing needed to fix 'distortion of social fabric, stuff.co.nz, Susan Edmunds quotes Terry Baucher and Susan St John, 19 July 2021.
• Worldwide Blog Week, blog by M.Claire Dale, 18 July 2021.
• Concerns over Government's urban planning policy, RNZ Jesse Mulligan interviews M.Claire Dale, 16 July 2021.
• Review of manuscript, Australian Journal of Social Issues, M.Claire Dale, 16 July 2021.
• New housing policy runs risk of urban slums, Newsroom, M.Claire Dale, 15 July 2021. 
• Women and retirement in a post-COVID world, PensionPolicyInternational, M.Claire Dale and Susan St John, 24 June 2021.
• Running a gender equity lens over social policies, childbirth, women's work, NZH, Susan St John, 27 June, 2021.
• ACC papers on Women Maori Pacifica and disabled, Radio NZ, Waitea News, Susan  St John, 22  June, 2021. 
• Commentary on the 2021 budget, The SpinOff, Susan St John, 20 May 2021.
•  Running a gender lens over our sacred social policies, Daily Blog, Susan St John, 13 May 2021.
• Listen to the Business School's M.Claire Dale discuss her research into the connections between ageing and the gender pay gap, LinkedIn, M.Claire Dale 13 May 2021. 
•  Unacknowledged consequences of the gender pay gap, Newsroom, M.Claire Dale, 11 May 2021.
•  The housing crisis, taxation policy: restoring equity to the social fabric of New Zealand, Auckland University of Technology, Susan St John and Terry Baucher, 28 April 2021.
•  IRD, Treasury and MSD – Does the tail wag the dog? Daily Blog, Susan St John, 12 March 2021.
•  Moola’s $2.8m loss is the community’s win, Newsroom, M.Claire Dale, 10 March 2021.
•  Towards Improved Retirement Outcomes for Women, OECD panel on youtube here, M.Claire Dale, 10 March 2021.
•  Irish State Pension Submission, Irish Pension Commission, Susan St John 9 March 2021.
• International women’s day? How are the worst off mothers and their kids doing? Daily Blog, Susan St John, 8 March 2021.
•  Time to use the Tax hose on the housing market, NZH, Susan St John, 24 February 2021.  
•  Oral Submission to Finance and Expenditure Committee on New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income (Fair Residency) Amendment Bill, Susan St John, 17 February 2021.
•  Ngā Tāngata Microfinance Calls For Tougher Penalties For Pyramid Scheme Promoters, Scoop.nz.co, M.Claire Dale, 22 January 2021.
•  Any economic fix starts with fixing inequality, NBR, Susan St John, 7 January 2021.
• Taxing residential properties: Is it time to pull the lever? www.interest.co.nz, Susan St John, 5 January 2021. 
  
  

2020

see RPRC Updates Vol 13 Issue 4, Issue 3, Issue 2, Issue 1.

2019

see RPRC Updates Vol 12 Issue 4, Issue 3, Issue 2, Issue 1.

2018

To receive a 2018 RPRC Update, please email Research Fellow Claire Dale at m.dale@auckland.ac.nz. 

2017

• Wild west in the suburbs, CPAG Blog, M Claire Dale, 24 March 2017
• Super plan threat to KiwiSaver, Gisborne Herald, Susan St John quoted, 9 March 2017
• Warning KiwiSaver could be eroded by NZ Super change, NZ Herald, Susan St John quoted, 9 March 2017
• Super change: Smart politics bad strategy, NZ Herland, Michael Littlewood, 8 March 2017
• The case against raising the age of superannuation, NZ Herald, M Claire Dale and Susan St John quoted, 8 March 2017
• Q and A with retirement policy expert, Stuff NZ, Susan St John, 7 March 2017
• New Zealanders deserve a better response to superannuation problem, Stuff NZ, Susan St John, 7 March 2017
• Superannuation - Your questions answered, Radio NZ, Michael Littlewood, 7 March 2017
• English turns superannuation into political football, Newstalk ZB, Michael Littlewood quoted, 6 March
• Labour opposes government plan to increase NZ super age to 67, Radio NZ, Michael Littlewood, 6 March 2017
• Pension expert mystified by government superannuation announcement, Radio Live, Michael Littlewood, 6 March 2017
  
• Tax cuts in store but what is Joyce thinking, The Daily Blog, Susan St John, 21 February 2017
  

2016

• Make immigrants wait longer for NZ Super, Stuff NZ, M Claire Dale and Susan St John quoted, 18 December 2016
  
• Time to scrap unfair spouse pension rule, Scoop NZ, Susan St John, 15 December 2016
• Is NZS sustainable in its current form?, RadioLive, Michael Littlewood, 14 December 2016
• Should social housing and superannuation policies change?, Radio NZ, Michael Littlewood, 12 December 2016
• Business as usual despite PM’s notice, Nelson Mail, Marlborough Express, M Claire Dale quoted, 6 December 2016
• It’s time for Ireland to bite the bullet on pensions, The Irish Times, Susan St John, 1 November 2106
• We really don't know how lucky we are, NZ Herald, Susan St John, 13 October 2016
• Migrants' parents cost NZ 'tens of millions, RadioNZ, Susan St John, 12 October 2016
• Deadline proposed to get 10 percent of children out of poverty, RadioNZ, Susan St John, 3 October, 2016
• Could New Zealand have the answer to our growing pensions crisis?, Irish Newstalk, Susan St John, 13 September 2016
• The ethics of KiwiSaver funds, Radio NZ, Michael Littlewood, 31 August 2016
• Aroha and action needed to reverse creeping "ghettoization" of Auckland, UoA, Susan St John, 31 August 2016
• VIDEO: Ballot Box: The Inclusive City, UoA Business School, Susan St John, 30 August 2016
• Improving policies for families and children, The Treasury Economics Network, Susan St John, 22 August 2016
  
• Hit housing bubble through tax, NZ Herald, Susan St John and Alan Johnson, 12 August 2016
• Why you'll never be able to retire, NZ Herald, Susan St John quoted, 26 June 2016
• Small number of taxpayers bear the brunt of New Zealand tax bill, Stuff NZ, Susan St John quoted, 2 June 2016
• The rules for the old too good for children?,The Daily Blog, Susan St John, 30 May 2016
• Experts call for stronger KiwiSaver, NZ Herland, Susan St John quoted, 26 May 2016
• Budget 2016: Can we afford the superannuation status quo?, Stuff NZ, Susan St John quoted, 25 May 2016
• Altering NZ Super could save 10% of the net cost, Internest, Susan St John, 17 May 2016
• Hong Kong should abolish tax breaks on MPF, South China Morning Post, Michael Littlewood, 1 May 2016
• Good Policy is rarely done on the run,The Daily Blog, Susan St John, 29 April 2016
• Read the fine print if you want NZ Super, NZ Herald, Susan St John quoted, 20 February 2016
• NZ Super nothing to do with tax paid, NZ Herald, RPRC quoted, 13 May 2016
• Is there an elephant in the room?, Ika lunchtime lecture, Susan St John, 30 March 2016
  

The Retirement Policy and Research Centre (RPRC) contribute to public debate through press releases and commentary.

• Press releases
• Commentary

RPRC Update newsletter

Copies of RPRC Update newsletters are available to view in PDF format from the Other publications database by Publication type: Media and news.

Read the RPRC Update newsletters

PensionReforms newsletter

PensionReforms’ editorial bias is challenging and emphasises research-based findings.

Copies of PensionReforms newsletters are available to view in PDF format from the Other publications database by Publication type: Media and news.

View copies of PensionReforms newsletters