Birthday gift for elderly from Peters

Winston Peters

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters celebrated his 60th birthday last night with a "golden age card" package for the elderly that would cost $700 million a year.

The cards, handed to all 120 delegates at Grey Power's annual conference in Rotorua, are an adaptation of the election pledge cards used first by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and later by Helen Clark.

The Peters version would double as "smartcards" for the elderly to use for doctor's visits "rather than having to fill out forms".

Besides lifting the rate of superannuation, the card would offer a "sufficient" subsidy for healthcare for over-65s, fare discounts and lower line costs for phone, power and gas.

Mr Peters also is proposing allowing people whose only income is super to pay only 65 per cent of their rates bills.

Extra income would reduce the subsidy and it would cut out at the average wage.

He said the total package would cost an extra $700 million a year, but declined to give detailed costings of each pledge.

But Prime Minister Helen Clark said the present super policy of 65 per cent of the average wage from age 65 had been agreed to by the main parties to make the scheme sustainable in the long term.

"I have to say that what NZ First is promoting is fundamentally damaging to NZ Super."

Peters' gold card

* Raise the married couple rate of superannuation to 68 per cent of the net average wage from next April, giving couples an extra $18 a week and singles $10.

* Raise the rate eventually to 72.5 per cent of the average wage.

* Reduce the rate at which super is clawed back from superannuitants with non-qualifying (under-65) spouses to the same clawback rates as other welfare benefits - 30c in the dollar above $80 a week, then 70c above $180. (It is now 70c from $80 a week.)