Newly-minted Prime Minister Bill English will not make the same pledge as his predecessor to quit rather than raising the superannuation age.
It is the only decision he says has been made on the topic which has been a top-ranked issue on his first full day in office.
Former leader John Key dug his heels in over raising the retirement age above 65 — a move which could make the country’s superannuation bill more affordable — saying he would resign before it was changed.
Mr English said yesterday he had not given the issue any thought, other than to say he would not go to such extremes with any rejection of the idea.
‘‘All we’ve actually done up to now is to not make the same pledge that John Key made about a PM resigning over the issue,’’ he said.
‘‘But we haven’t given any further consideration to policy or process.’’
Act New Zealand leader David Seymour questioned why Mr English was being coy when as a former finance minister he would know the numbers did not stack up.
He urged the Government to make its position clear.
‘‘He’s taken a step in the right direction by dropping John Key’s pledge to retain the age. But it’s also created serious uncertainty for savers,’’ he said.
‘‘When it comes to long-term issues that affect people’s saving needs, certainty is vital.’’
While National’s stance is potentially wavering, Labour leader Andrew Little remains steadfast in his refusal to support an increase in the retirement age.
‘‘I have very, very firm convictions coming from my 20 years of experience working with working people that lifting the age of eligibility from 65 to 67 is something that I don’t accept,’’ he said, though he admitted there were questions about affordability that needed answering.
The Pike River mine, child poverty and tax cuts have also been hot topics for Mr English as leader.
