So what does a Prime Minister and a government with its head in the sand look like?

If nothing else the New Zealand governments response to two recent reports on the future of the current superannuation arrangements has given the other political parties the opportunity to take the high ground on an issue that many see as a “no brainer”. However this is an issue that is bigger than politics, it is one that is critical to the future of the country, its citizens and economy.

One of the first questions I ask when faced with knotty issues that involve multiple parties with different views and positions is; who is best placed to convene the conversation that needs to take place. Well one thing is for sure the offer of the Labour party to work in a bipartisan way to address the issues is never going to fly. Other parties with an interest such as the Financial Services Council (FSC) while bringing an informed sectorial perspective are also not positioned to convenor the national conversation.

A consistent voice on this issue has been the Retirement Commissioner Diana Crossen. She has a statutory responsibility to Parliament. One would have thought that the Commisioner would be well placed to be convenor of the conversation, but no she was also rebuffed by the Prime Minister last year.

To add to the mix we also have a government that has professed to being concerned about the growing gap between Australia and New Zealand. The FSC sees the retirement income gap between the average New Zealander and Australian doubling in coming decades with young New Zealanders who have the prospect of doubling their retirement incomes going west to Australia. Is the westward flow at around 1000 a week set to increase even further?

It is time for a serious national conversation.