A problem for Cunliffe

Newstalk ZB reports:

The bartering’s already underway ahead of this year’s election, with New Zealand First laying down the law on superannuation.

Leader Winston Peters is making it crystal clear his party’s against the age of entitlement being changed.

“Categorically, we will not support any party that seeks to move the age to beyond 65 at this point in time.”

This is a real problem for Labour.

I support the eligibility age going up, and Labour policy is for it to go up. It is a rare area where they can try and claim they are fiscally restrained and credible.

But the reality is that if Winston says it is non-negotiable, then their policy is worthless. Almost every poll since the election has shown Labour/Greens can’t govern unless NZ First support them. So the NZ First stance means that Labour’s policy is almost certainly dead on arrival.

National is (sadly) also saying the age should stay 65, so the NZ First position causes them no problem.

“Now I don’t want you running off and saying we’re reneging on raising the age. That’s a post-election discussion, I have not said that.”

But the reality is that the policy is dead in the water.