www.migrants-to-nz-beware.info
Migrants coming to New Zealand, and Kiwis coming home, must understand that many will be financially punished if they retire here at aged 65. New Zealand will confiscate their overseas country's contributory government pension if they also become entitled to New Zealand's Superannuation Tier 1 pension called (NZS).
Welcome to this site being constructed by a group of British Ex-pats/returned Kiwis who, upon retiring here and having entitlement to both the UK State pension and NZS, suddenly found themselves, like approximately 50,000 others from many countries, victims of a perpetrated injustice by the NZ government, targeting elderly migrants and returned Kiwis who have worked overseas.
Migrants from the following countries are the main ones affected but many others are being targeted now New Zealand has a greater number of migrants from many more countries coming here.
The countries are: America, Australia, Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Germany, Guernsey, Jersey, The Netherlands, The UK.
Q: What's this all about?
A: Our aim is to warn those who are thinking
of coming to New Zealand and those returning to NZ, to be aware that this
lovely country does have its dark side. New Zealand has for decades maintained
consistent abuse against many of its elderly citizens. Despite many thousands
of complaints over the years to politicians and a 7,000 signature petition
to parliament, the government and the ineffective Human
Rights Commission, has never done anything to end this outdated
policy of confiscating overseas government pensions paid for by its citizens
who have worked abroad.
New Zealand does not believe in the modern conception of international
portability of overseas (contributory, Tier 2) governments pensions for
those who migrate between countries and retire here. Click
for more information.
Q: Why does it do this?
A: Its pure greed, NZ ignores both UN and
the EU international rules on the portability of international pensions
for people who migrate to other countries. NZS was advertised
up until recently as being entitled to all who met the residential qualifications
and was neither income or asset tested.
Such has been the uproar against this appallingly misleading statement
hiding this injustice over the years, that the government has had to advise
the following.
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/individuals/travelling-or-migrating/getting-an-overseas-benefit-or-pension-in-nz.html#GettingbothoverseasandNewZealandbenefitsandpensions3
Here are similar sites launched by others who who have earned the right,
through contributions, to overseas government second Tier pensions and
who have had these pensions stolen by successive governments: Just click
on the links.
http://www.alliedpensionersnz.org.nz/
and http://nzpensionabuse.org/
and http://www.nzpensionprotest.com/
If you are a British Pensioner either heading to, or already in Australia,
you may be interested in this site for Ex pat Brits there.
Just click on this link: http://youle.info/bpia-blog/
Q: How does it do this?
A: To understand this, it is necessary to
understand how New Zealand classes its own Government Superannuation and
those overseas government pensions.
New Zealand's government Superannuation (pension) is a non contributory,
residency based (10 years from 20 to include 5 years from the age of 50)
and is very generous. Someone can arrive in the country aged 55, need
do no work, can indeed claim benefits if entitled to and at age 65, will
receive the same level of Superannuation as someone who started work at
15 and worked for 50 years. This type of pension is classed as Tier
1.
The basic UK pension is classed as such, upheld by House of Lords ruling
in a case of a British subject fighting against the abatement of his UK
pension when receiving his NZ Superannuation.
The government then classes many overseas pensions that involve contributions
as Tier 2. The UK State Earnings Related
Pension Scheme, now known as 2nd State Pension, is classed by the NZ government
as a Tier 2. Many other countries have
government pensions classed as such.
The problem arises when a New Zealand citizen, someone who has worked abroad, to include migrants settled here or Kiwis who have worked overseas, applies for NZ Superannuation, they find the government abates dollar for dollar, the value of their overseas pension against the NZ Superannuation.
It uses legislation, Section 70 of the Social Security Act, which directly deducts the amount of a persons pension they receive from an overseas government, from New Zealand Superannuation they are entitled to at 65.
The legislation states that any overseas government pension analogous
(same as) NZS (Tier 1,
a non contributory benefit) can be deducted.
Problem is, only Tier 1 pensions should
be deducted, but Tier 2 pensions are
taken too.
Four Government reviews have determined the NZ pension policies
as, "out of touch with
other countries social services".
It has been using this legislation for around 60 years, when many countries pensions were the same, but now the world has moved on, whilst NZ has stood still.
It knowingly bends the rules, to include any overseas "government administered pension", most now are contributory, Tier 2.
The CEO of the Ministry for Social Development, the government's
first line of defense, said, in a 2005 review to the government that:
"This option (direct
deduction of overseas government pensions) is to ensure that only overseas
pensions that are similar to NZS are deducted. Many countries have introduced
Tiered systems in which universal flat rate, state pensions similar to
NZS are complimented by additional state pensions which are contributory
and earnings based (including mandatory private savings)
Currently section 70 authorizes the direct deduction of second-tier earnings-related
pensions, despite the fact that, other than being administered by the
state, they have little resemblance to NZ Super".
This report was suppressed, not hard to see why but his
admission is in Section 73, Page 24.
You may want to ask the CEO, Peter Hughes, why, when he admits overseas
pensions are being wrongly confiscated, nothing is done.
Contact him at: information@msd.govt.nz.
The 2005
Report is
here: The appalling admission of the NZ government's pension abuse
is in Section 73, Page 24.
Government and University of Auckland reports into the effects of the direct deduction of overseas pensions:
University of Auckland Retirement Policy and Research Centre Report, (RPRC) was commissioned by the Human Rights Commission in order to substantiate any wrong doing by the government.
Even though the government reports themselves confirm the unfairness of the Direct Deduction Policy when applied to Tier 2 pensions and when in the 2004 government report, Ministers were warned they could be challenged under the 1990 Human Rights Bill, this ineffective organization has decide to pursue its extremely effective feet dragging tactics and commission yet another report.
To understand the problems further it is advisable to read this very interesting
RPRC report, called appropriately "Passing the buck"and can
be viewed here:
the RPRC report: Countries listed: Australia,
Austria, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, The UK, The USA, Switzerland.
Even more shamefully, this direct deduction policy (DDP)
fraud, also affects victim's spouses/partners as well.
Whilst the DDP confiscates victims overseas Tier 2 pensions,
their spouses/partners will also have their NZS reduced
by the amount the victim's overseas pension exceeds the value of NZS.
So, many New Zealanders who have lived and worked all their lives in NZ
suffer from this injustice as well! Mugabeism in the South Pacific, he
would be proud!
Whilst visitors to the site may question the knowledge of those many many
thousands of us who have complained, including a 7,000 signature to Parliament
about this injustice, it really is getting harder for NZ's unfeeling government,
now there have been 4 government interdepartmental reviews, describing
the direct deduction policy as "discriminatory,
inequitable, unfair
and unjust",
and that's putting it mildly!
The previous Labour
regime, run by
Helen Clark, Ex Prime Minister (now No 3 in the United
Nations), knowingly suppressed these reviews.
In one government review, Ministers, Cullen and Maherey
and Benson Pope, were warned such pension abuse could be challenged under
the Bill Of Rights 1990,
The Human Rights Commission (HRC),
(this outfit is a joke), it pretends to be independent
but its hierarchy is appointed by the government and the organization
is funded by the government and many an application for the HRC to pursue
complaints have been denied by the HRC because the government will not
provide necessary funds to fulfill the commission's role. So much for
independence!
Nothing
will ever change for those of us affected by the government's shameful
treatment of under Section 70 whilst the two main gutless government puppets,
Joris de Bres and Rosalind Noonan are in charge of the commission.
This weak, hamstrung organisation can be
contacted at:
http://www.hrc.co.nz/home/hrc/enquiries complaints/grounds/age.php
fill the form in, good luck, you will need it!
Michael Cullen, Ex Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, continued
the abuse when he had the chance to act responsibly.
The efforts keep the Ministry reports suppressed, surely a sign of government
embarrassment and guilt, were finally defeated after a sustained battle
by the Government Ombudsman
and are now out in the public arena and can be seen at the original protest
web site /http://www.nzpensionabuse.org/.
This site has a lot of information,
showing the systematic pension abuse of many elderly.
It is a damning insight into so called modern New Zealand.
Contact
MPS: if you wish to contact any MPs, especially
those responsible for the continuation of this abuse,
click
here
This is the governments list of contacts. The addresses contain the e-mail
links for the government e-mail addresses. Click on the address link to
open up an e-mail. All these e-mail links will be moved onto other pages
as the site progresses. We are going to list if possible, all MPs, to
show whether they be for or against this continual abuse of so many elderly,
so contact them and let us know how they stand.
Contact the Social Security
Ministers responsible: If you are one of the approx.
50,000 migrants and returned Kiwis that suffer this pension abuse, you
may want to ask them, why government reviews highlighting this abuse,
are not acted upon by them.
The two Social Development Government Ministers, Paula Bennet and Tariana
Turia, can be contacted at: Paula
Bennett. Social Security Minister or Tariana
Turia, Associate Social Security Minister. Email them with
your complaints/enquiries. Don't hold
your breath!
The supposedly, ineffectual, non interested,
Minister for Senior Citizens, John
Carter, also has responsibility in this area,
you can contact him at : John
Carter
He has reiterated that this abuse is acceptable and fair to the rest of New Zealanders, such a statement speaks for itself as to the calibre of this politician, no conscience!
Before the Social Services Select Committee is a bill to see whether end the abuse, whereby New Zealanders who choose to retire abroad will no longer be robbed of the less than generous 50% of NZS if they spend longer than 6 months overseas.
The Social Assistance (Payment of
This is what the bill has to say about these problems.
Executive summary ;The policies
on treatment of overseas social security pensions and payment of New Zealand
Superannuation ( NZS ) overseas are contentious. This
is because affected super annuitants do not generally receive either the
full rate or any NZS amount, and some other governments consider that
New Zealand is using their pensions simply to reduce its own pension liabilities.
( No surprises here, this simple fact is mentioned
in the suppressed reports!)
The Prime
Minister, John Key, was heard to say pre election,
that if people have paid for pensions, they should keep them.
So far, now a true politician, he has not practiced what he preached.
Pre-election, his platform was based on equality for all, he was joking
of course!
As usual with politicians, its all about rhetoric, his empty words from
his new Parliament talked about equality for all. What an expensive joke
for many of us.
A new word is appearing on political blogs,
describing politicians who knowingly lie, distort the truth, use their
power for their own ends and that is Liarticians! Aint it the truth!
Perhaps this description is most suitable for those politicians, including
Key, who knowingly continue this abuse against approx. 50,000 Kiwis.
It seems billions of dollars are available for Treaty settlements, but
politicians are happy to fleece the elderly, claiming the country cannot
afford to change the legislation, despite government reports stating otherwise.
Seems Key doesn't give a toss for
the injustice to many of us elderly. You may want to ask the Prime Minister
if he will act upon the recommendations and criticisms in the government
reviews, or, like previous incarnations of uncaring Prime Ministers, will
he keep his head in the sand and let the abuse continue.
Contact our disappointing, uncaring Prime
Minister at:
John
Key: Prime minister,
He may not answer your inquiry because not is he
only not interested, he is also too busy selling the country off to his
mates from the business Round Table!
This useless excuse for a Prime Minister
may well be facing his party's political demise at the next election as
the country is now seeing the true colours of this National Party.
The main problem is, WINZ's Benefits Review Council, that listens to complaints about this direct deduction policy, with both closed ears and minds, is stacked with WINZ appointees. It seems the government can stop the Police authority and the Real Estate Industry in regulating themselves and reviewing complaints against their members and made them independent in the name of democracy. It seems that WINZ, the government's means of prolonging the agony for the many thousands of us affected, will not be changed. So much for Key's empty election words on equality for all.
There may be some hope, Winston
Peters is supposedly going to make a comeback but his past
promises to get this abuse sorted out came to naught as usual. . You can
contact him here, click on the link: info@winstonpeters.com
or Telephone: (04) 471 9292. FreePost: Rt Hon
Winston Peters, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.
His website is at: hhttp://www.winstonpeters.com
It
looks impressive, perhaps in our case, that is probably all
it is. You cannot blog on the site, perhaps this guy is scared of comments!
If you any information about your pension dealings with
WINZ, or anything of interest, please contact us at:
nzpensionvictims@s
