Events and proceedings

Pressure points in our policies: Facing up to the ageing population, University of Auckland Alumni and RPRC, 10 August 2021

RPRC and PPI Summit: The 2019 retirement income policy review, and you, 26 April 2019

Winter Week on Campus, 28 November, 2019

RPRC seminar: Global trends in pension reforms: Issues for New Zealand, 5 April 2018

RPRC forum: Retirement policy in an age of uncertainty, 20 April 2017

Auckland Microfinance, University of Auckland, 15 March 2017

Summit: Beyond Social Investment, 8 September 2017

RPRC Forum: The high-cost chromosome - XX retirement: lower pay, less savings, longer lives, 15 July 2016

Social security summit: Welfare fit for families in a changing world, 8 September 2015

Today’s policy settings unfairly favour the baby boomer generation, 10 July 2015

NZ Dementia Summit, Te Papa, Wellington, 6 November 2015

Retirement Incomes Policy: the future is now, 17 April 2014

Decumulating retirement savings: making the options work, 21 November 2014

The Forum, co-hosted by the RPRC and the Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Incomes, built on the 2012 Forum: Spending the Savings. The Forum brought together consumer and sector representatives, actuaries, academics and other experts to progress a report on the viability of various approaches to the decumulation of savings.

The keynote speaker was Jeremy Cooper, Chairman of Retirement Income at ASX-listed Challenger Limited, a major annuity provider in Australia.

The Forum supported Recommendation 7 in the Retirement Commissioner’s 2013 Review of Retirement Incomes: Retirement Commissioner to convene a broadly representative review to determine viability of approaches to the voluntary annuitisation of savings, including KiwiSaver balances, on retirement.

Overseas pensions: a fairer future, 5 December 2014

This Forum built on the research on overseas pensions policy in New Zealand published by the RPRC, the two Forums held in 2010, and the 2013 Forum. Throughout, the work has been supported by the Human Rights Commission and aided by the contributions of Associate Professor Andrew Smith of Victoria University, Wellington.

The Government has signalled their intention to re-write the Social Security Act. The need for change is highlighted in the Ministry of Social Development’s Briefing to the Incoming Ministers. As noted in the RPRC’s Press Release, this is an unprecedented opportunity for a first-principles discussion about the treatment of overseas pensions.

Previous RPRC Working Papers have made specific recommendations for reform of the inequities and anomalies that exist in the treatment of overseas pensions under section 70 of the Social Security Act 1964. Some recommendations are for administrative change, and could be implemented immediately. Others require a national debate.

2013 RPRC September Forum: Does the UK’s reform of pensions have lessons for New Zealand? 23 September 2013, University of Auckland Business school

The UK’s pension system is described as the most complex in the world, and New Zealand’s is described as the simplest. After fifteen years of intense retirement income policy debate, consultation and legislation, the UK's pension system will become surprisingly like New Zealand's with a single tier of public pension and auto-enrolment into private pensions. An RPRC Forum.

Forum: Overseas pensions - Justice delayed? 23 September 2013

The Forum brought together academics, Ministry of Social Development (MSD) officials, politicians and affected pensioners, to debate the way forward.

Symposium: Spending the savings: Decumulation and middle-income retirement 30 November 2012.

This symposium brought together academics and practitioners from the retirement industry to identify problems and solutions to decumulation of assets in retirement.

RPRC Debate: SAYGO versus PAYGO: Does it matter? 26 June 2012.

The amount spent on New Zealand Superannuation is forecast to double in the next forty years as a proportion of GDP. Some say the government should be emulating private behaviour by setting aside more financial assets in the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, while others believe that the contributions to KiwiSaver should be increased to save the day.

A shift to more "Save As You Go" (SAYGO) is advocated by Dr Andrew Coleman, Senior Fellow at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research. The benefits of "Pay As You Go" (PAYGO), and some of the possible pitfalls of expecting pre funding or increased private saving for retirement to solve the burden on future generations are discussed by Associate Professor Susan St John, and Michael Littlewood, co-directors of the RPRC.

RPRC seminar Accounting for the government: Is GAAP a step forward or a step back? 6 March 2012.

Associate Professor Sue Newberry, (The University of Sydney) asks: Is the generally accepted accounting standards (GAAP) approach appropriate for a government’s financial reports given its wide involvement in social insurance? What about public-private partnerships? Has line by line accounting improved the New Zealand accounts? Has it improved transparency, or has it created a façade of transparency that does not tell us what we need to know?

RPRC Seminar Putting a human face on the financial services industry: What happens when it all goes wrong? 9 February 2012.

The collapse of several financial products and service providers has resulted in many thousands of people in Australia and New Zealand losing their life savings, house ownership, and any semblance of financial security. In some cases these losses have resulted from inappropriate financial advice being given. Aaron Bruhn, Australian National University.

Universal pensions: The case for New Zealand. 27 November 2011.

Michael Littlewood gave a presentation to a conference run by the Alliance for Universal Pensions (Hong Kong). The presentation looked at the New Zealand experience with New Zealand Superannuation. Michael also took part in a question & answer session at the Legislative Council the following day.

ACC Forum: The future of ACC. 26 August 2011.

Is New Zealand in danger of losing both what is best about the ACC scheme, and our place as a world leader in accident compensation? What can be done?

Preparing for the health and long-term care costs of an ageing population in New Zealand. 14-15 July 2011.

Presentation by Susan St John and Claire Dale at the 19th Annual Colloquium of Superannuation Researchers Centre for Pensions and Superannuation at UNSW: Financing the retirement needs of an ageing population.

Reflecting on the May budgets, the recession, and labour markets in New Zealand and Australia. 27 May 2011.

The financial crisis has pushed all government budgets further into deficit. More recently, governments in New Zealand and Australia have faced new fiscal challenges arising out of natural disasters. The result is weakening budget positions.

Welfare forum: Rethinking welfare for the 21st century. 10 September 2010.

Presentation by Susan St John to Institute of Policy Studies, University of Victoria Wellington.

New Zealand superannuation and overseas pensions forum series: Issues and principles for reform 25 August 2010, Wellington.

Abatement of overseas, state-administered, contributory pensions has caused distress for many New Zealand immigrants as evidenced by complaints to the Human Rights Commission (HRC), the Courts, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), the Retirement Policy and Research Centre (RPRC), the media, and the embassies of the origin countries for the pensions.

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysian Employees' Provident Fund conference. 14-15 July, 2010

The RPRC's Michael Littlewood gave two presentations at a conference in Kuala Lumpur organised by the Malaysian Employees' Provident Fund (the local compulsory retirement savings scheme).

New Zealand superannuation and overseas pensions forum series: Options for reform 24 February 2010, Auckland.

Rosslyn Noonan, Chief Commissioner, the Human Rights Commission, opened the Forum and launched RPRC’s Working Papers: 2009-1 Literature Review; and 2009-2 New Zealand Superannuation and Overseas Pensions: Issues and Principles for Reform. Her opening address included an urge to action for change to the inequitable current pension policy.

ACC forum: ACC debate - How do we pay for the ACC? 15 December 2009.

In the late 1990s, it was decided that ACC should become fully pre-funded. The ACC Forum focussed primarily on the merits of alternative methods of funding ACC to ensure the survival of this unique social insurance scheme.

RPRC symposium: Tax, saving, welfare and retirement 16 July 2009.

The symposium examined specific issues relating to the welfare/tax interface, saving and retirement, and whether New Zealand might re-establish a more neutral and simpler regime based on the accepted principles of the previous decade.

Symposium: Retirement income policies in New Zealand - looking back and looking forward. 16 April 2008.

123 delegates and 20 speakers, including many prominent players from the last 30 years, talked about what has happened and what might matter for the future. To support the work of the Retirement Policy and Research Centre and the April 2008 Symposium, The University of Auckland Library made available online:

• Government Economic Statement New Zealand. Government economic statement, 17 December 1987. Wellington, N.Z. : Government Printer [1987]
• Consultative Document on Superannuation and Life Insurance: Volume 1 Consultative Document on Superannuation and Life Insurance, Volume 1. Wellington, N.Z: Government Printer [1988]
• Tax Treatment of Superannuation: Report of the Consultative Committee New Zealand. Consultative Committee on Superannuation, Life Insurance and Related Areas. Tax treatment of superannuation: report of the Consultative Committee. [Wellington, N.Z.] : Treasury, [1988].

Where to for Welfare? Symposium held to discuss recent and proposed welfare reform, 21 March 2007.