Grey Power September 2019

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NZ GREYPOWER MAGAZINE » SEPTEMBER 2019
NATIONAL SUPER
WARNING
When former Prime Minister Bill English
indicated, just prior to the last
general election, that he intended to increase
the age of entitlement for national
superannuation to 67 we gave him a
very clear warning: “don’t mess with
national super.”
A few weeks out from that election,
he nonetheless publicly announced his
new policy. He gave me personally less
than an hour’s notice, but at least he
was courteous enough to do so. He was
always a courteous man even when we
disagreed, but the rest, as they say, is
history.
Now the current National Party
leader Simon Bridges wants to
have another go and the message is
the same… “don’t”.
Our concerns were not for people
currently receiving national superannuation,
but for those people who will
be entering their retirement years in
the next decade or more. We were particularly
concerned for those people in
physically demanding jobs. It’s all very
well to talk about retraining them, but
the reality is that no matter what qualifications
people might gain as adults
no one really wants to employ a newly
qualified middle aged clerk when there
will be school leavers available.
The proposed increase in the residential
term for immigrants to qualify
for national superannuation, from
10 to 20 years is a different matter
and that is already the policy of other
political parties.
It is a bit ironic that the National
Government stopped paying into the
superannuation fund from 2008, but
gave the pension to immigrants after
only 10 years in New Zealand. And now
Mr Bridges claims the scheme is unaffordable.
It is not a gift or a charity. It
is a pension scheme we all own and pay
into and many pensioners remain in
part-time work and pay taxes well into
retirement.
Any move to mess with national superannuation
will bring a major political
battle like the one which launched
Grey Power nearly 40 years ago.
Tom O’Connor
Immediate past president, Grey Power
END OF LIFE
CHOICE BILL
With David Seymour’s End of Life
Choice Bill having passed a second
reading in Parliament, it is now possible
that the Bill could become law if the
Epsom MP can gather enough votes to
ensure that the Bill survives the final
voting process.
As a “Conscience vote”, individual
MPs can vote without the direction
or influence of the Party Whips or the
Caucus, a quite unique situation in the
current MMP Parliament.
With an older age group within the
NZ Grey Power organisation, it is important
that individual members, if
they have an opinion on the Bill, should
exercise their democratic right and
make their local MP aware of their per-
sonal position on the Bill. Grey Power
Associations throughout New Zealand
can also influence the passage of the
Bill through the use of a membership
poll, the results being made available to
the local MP.
It is quite possible that a considerable
number of Grey Power members
will have had personal experience of a
family member wishing to die – not a
pleasant situation!
Bill Stirling
Grey Power deliberately has no policy
on this potentially divisive issue and
has left it as one to be decided on an
individual choice basis.
PRIVATE FUNERALS
A“private funeral has been held”. These
saddening words have become all-toocommon,
leaving “non-family” people
to grieve alone. Whether the wish for
privacy was based on “I don’t want a
fuss” or “I don’t want you to be spending
money on me”, some close friends
and admirers are going to be hurt
simply because they have been overlooked
by the family when they, too,
are grieving.
There is an economical and comfortable
way around this.
By all means, have the immediate
family attend a private burial or cremation,
which is easiest on them in their
time of most stress. But please follow it
up, after an interval, with a memorial/
celebration service open to all.
This does not have to be costly, with
a social time over a simple tea or coffee
and biscuits. “User Pays” after-service
functions on licensed premises are
now common, too, and quite acceptable
to those wishing to attend and support
the family.
Malcolm Potts
LUNG CANCER
PETITION
I hope you are having a successful year
to date and this includes keeping the coalition
government on their toes. I am
taking the opportunity to inform you
about [the Lung Foundation New Zealand’s]
advocacy programme, which we
believe is relevant to your members.
It has been necessary to prepare a
comprehensive submission to Pharmac
regarding NZ’s Biggest Cancer Killer,
but also launch a petition to help address
the terrible inequity that exists for
lung cancer patients and their families
in this country... many will be members
of Grey Power.
Most sad, lung cancer patients in
New Zealand are being disadvantaged,
because Pharmac’s funding policy for
lung cancer treatments is third world
and it is causing our most vulnerable to
die prematurely.
Please see below the link to a petition,
I have just launched for lung
cancer. Please help us promote this to
Continued on page 40
Go Your Own Way
Suzuki Ignis GLX NAV
Living in New Zealand
we tend to be mindful
of our environment,
and being a sensible bunch,
we’re happy to spend less
on petrol. So it makes a lot
of sense for us to downsize
to vehicles that are more
practically sized, economical
and easy to drive. The
good news is, cars like the
Suzuki Ignis mean you can
do it without compromise
– on the contrary, you may
discover a surprising number
of benefits.
When the funky Suzuki
Ignis five-door hatchback
burst onto the scene, it was
unlike anything. It’s literally
in a class of its own, a
super compact SUV. Well
compact it may be, but
you’d be surprised at how
roomy the Ignis feels – and
the features it manages
to pack into its distinctive
shape.
Ignis’ distinctively designed
cabin is spacious
and light with elevated
seating for excellent visibility.
This also makes it less
awkward to get in and out
of, and provides excellent
leg and head room. The
boot is a good size and rear
seats can be laid flat for golf
clubs, bowls, big shopping
trips or awkward items
from the garden centre.
Around town Ignis is
effortless to drive – you
always feel in complete
control. Its low weight and
tight 4.7 metre turning circle
translate to agility and
responsiveness, making inner
city streets and mall car
parks a breeze. On longer
trips Ignis cruises beautifully
and comes standard
with the kind of comforts
you’d expect in a luxury
car; air conditioning with
pollen filter, cruise control,
speed limiter, power assisted
steering, electric windows
and electrically adjustable
door mirrors. The
leather steering wheel is
tilt adjustable with audio,
phone and cruise located
for fingertip control.
Safety has always been
a corner-stone of Suzuki’s
philosophy and Ignis is an
outstanding example of
how far the technology has
come with Suzuki’s Total
Effective Control technology
and advanced accident
avoidance systems. Electronic
stability programme
(ESP®) is standard, as is
ABS with EBD, brake assist,
six airbags and side
impact beams. You don’t
need to know the acronyms
to know you’re getting topnotch
tech and peace of
mind here.
With Ignis’ light-weight
frame and zippy 1.2 litre
DualJet engine, you’ll just
about forget where the
petrol station is between
fill-ups. It’s super-efficient
at just 4.7-4.9L/100km*.
To do much better than
that, you’d need to get out
and push!
The Ignis GLX NAV
model adds even more appeal.
As well as sporting a
large 7-inch touchscreen
infotainment system with
Android Auto & Apple Car-
Play, the limited edition
GLX NAV features an easy
to use satellite navigation
system and reversing camera.
If you’ve never used
Sat Nav, you don’t know
what you’re missing. It
can help you avoid traffic
snarl-ups, find the nearest
restaurant or café to
you, and generally take the
stress out of finding your
way around. The reversing
camera helps you back
safely without having to
twist your neck, and provides
a digital overlay for
easy reverse parking.
Despite all the extras
the Suzuki Ignis GLX NAV
Manual can be yours for
just $18,990 plus on road
costs (that’s your registration
fees and whatnot) or
the Ignis GLX NAV Auto
only $20,990 plus on road
costs. Also available on no
deposit finance from just
$82 per week†. The only
catch? Being a limited edition
there’s just a handful
in the country, so if you’re
keen, you’d better get into
your Suzuki dealer quick.
*ADR 81/02 results for
combined cycle. Fuel consumption
will vary due to
factors such as vehicle condition,
driving style and
traffic conditions.
†Terms and conditions
apply, see Suzuki.co.nz for
more information.