Opinion: Robbed by my birthdate

Prime Minister Bill English, right, and Finance Minister Steven Joyce, last week announced the age of those eligible for superannuation would rise to 67. Photo/File

I was born August 2, 1972.

This means I'm a Leo born the same year as The Godfather's release in the decade of disco.

Who cares?

Well, me, because the Government's proposal to raise the age of New Zealand superannuation eligibility from 65 to 67 applies to people born only on or after July 1, 1972. Damn.

Apparently I entered this world a month too late. I'll inquire of Mum what my due date was to see if I was in fact a post-term baby - that may be a loophole.

If not, that month is now tantamount to two additional years in the workforce.

It's not the first time my birthdate has robbed me. In 1987 New Zealand became the first country in the world to introduce a graduated driver licensing system.

This applied to all new drivers aged 15-24 years and was introduced on August 1, 1987, the very day before my 15th birthday. Thus, if I was born two days earlier, I could (and would) have applied for a full licence on my birthday, ensuring I'd have skipped the ensuing years of the learner-restricted-full licence rigmarole.

Doesn't seem fair. First us 1972 Leos were stripped of driving freedoms, then we were told we'd be working two years longer.

I jest of course. The progressive licensing system isn't a bad model, and frankly should have been introduced before 1987.

Perhaps the same can be said of the new super age. Prime Minister Bill English claims the policy will save the country about $4 billion a year once fully in place in 2040.

While it seems unfair to us whose birthdates sit on the legislation's frontier, (and I'm certainly glad I don't earn a crust swinging an axe) the serious spectre of this country's ageing population needed redressing in some form.

Statistics New Zealand claim by 2051 there will be more than 1.14 million people aged 65 years and over in New Zealand. This represents an increase of 715,000 or 166 per cent over the base population.

So, while I've moaned this week about my freakish bad luck, in the years to come we'll see it as a prudent, if not prescient step. Maybe even one that came 10 years too late.