Poll shows support for retirement age increase

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A majority of voters believe the Government should now be discussing raising the superannuation age, the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey shows.

A breakdown of the 52.3 per cent of respondents who think the issue should be addressed now shows greater support for the proposition among younger voters, aged 18 to 39, and those aged 65 or over who are already receiving the pension.

But even in the group closest to retirement age - those aged 40 to 64 - 44.5 per cent believed the discussion should still be had now, although 50 per cent said it shouldn't.

National Party leader John Key has promised that the age will not be raised while he is Prime Minister.

He recently repeated that pledge at a Grey Power meeting in Hamilton.

The promise does not preclude his holding talks or even making decisions now for a future date, but that would assume he would not be prime minister at the time any changes kicked in.

Labour has no plan to increase the pension age.

Yesterday, Mr Key said there would be an ongoing discussion about the pension age because the Retirement Commissioner was charged with leading that public discussion.

He acknowledged that, technically, he could make such changes without breaching his promise "so long as I wasn't prime minister in 10 years", but he was not contemplating doing do.

Act leader Don Brash, who hopes to form a government with National after the November election, has repeatedly said keeping the age at 65 is not affordable and wants greater flexibility - such as paying out more to people who take up super at an older age.

Australia will raise the pension age progressively until it is 67 by 2023.