Mr Key has come out and said that the age can stay at 65 for as long as it is affordable and went on to say it's good until 2020.
His views are not shared by the Retirement Commissioner.
She thinks that we need to raise the age of the pension slowly over the course of the next 12 years.
It's certainly a hot potato and has drawn many comments on Facebook and letters to the editor.
I read an article the other day about older Kiwis holding most of New Zealand's wealth and there were some interesting points in the story.
New Zealanders aged 55-plus have increased their share of household net wealth in the past decade, mainly from investment in their homes, and staying in the workforce longer.
Older Kiwis have 52 per cent of New Zealand's household net wealth, up from 43 per cent in 2002 according to Roy Morgan Research. The older segment has almost 69.9 per cent of their gross wealth in their homes, up from 56 per cent in 2002.
It's interesting to compare similar stats with our transtasman neighbours. Australians in the 55-plus age group have only 51 per cent of gross wealth in their homes.
Those aged 55 and over now make up 23 per cent of New Zealand's workforce, up from 14 per cent in 2002. Of the 303,000 people added to the workforce since 2008, about 78 per cent have come from the older group, while unemployment has climbed among younger people. Some people would argue that the older workers are keeping younger people out of jobs.
I know one thing for sure; nothing beats experience in any field. I find it quite reassuring, for instance, shopping at Bunnings where many of their workforce fit into the over-55 category. If you need some advice on home handyman tasks, they almost always can pass on some expertise.
It really is good dealing with someone who knows what they are talking about.
I am great believer in age being just a number; in fact you could say it's my mantra. Where some people dread the thought of approaching birthdays, like 40 or 50 or even 60, I couldn't wait to celebrate those milestones and look back at achievements, both good and bad and then look forward to setting more goals. You only have to look at good old Prince Phillip.
At the tender age of 90, there he was in all his glory celebrating with his family on the royal barge, during the Queen's Jubilee. He really did look in pretty good nick, although, standing for four hours without taking on any fluid, did hospitalise him for a few days. He did, however, look pretty good when he left hospital and was able to have a few G&Ts; no doubt to celebrate his 91st.
There are many examples of older people getting out there and enjoying life and I say well done.
Our ageing population represents a real asset, not a burden.
