MANA says raising the age of entitlement from 65 to 67 will rob Maori.
Posted on September 19, 2011 by admin in News“MANA says changes to social services must consider their impact on Maori.
Maori people already die younger than everyone else, so raising the
retirement age will mean even fewer Maori will get the pension because Maori
just don’t live that long. Raising the age of entitlement without proper
consultation is just another example of how Maori perspectives are sidelined
in social services.”
For further Information:
Peter Verschaffelt 0221055044
Elva Turner says:
Post Author September 20, 2011 at 12:01 pmthis is going to be very challenging for our people when they raised the age of retirement form 60 to 65 a lot of our people didn’t make it to 65. Now raising the age to 67 is going to really put our people at a disadvantage. As it stands our people do not get the same quality of health care as the pakeha and I speak from experience. one of my nephews looks white he was in hospital not long after my boy who does look Maori and the difference in their care was incredible I called them on their racist treatment of my son but it didn’t get me anywhere. they withheld a lot of treatment from my boy, but not my nephew because he looks white.
Remember the koro at Whangarei who needed dialysis he was only allowed six weeks dialysis then they stopped his treatment and of course he died, and yet there was a pakeha in Christchurch at the same time, who had been getting dialysis for thirty years and they didn’t stop treatment I believe he is still alive. there was no money for the Maori koro. even my own experiences from medical misadventure from the medical professions, and they always got away with it, and nothing was put right for me, and the whakaro of these professionals is, who cares its only another dumb Maori
It is not a level playing field for our people and the raising of the retirement age is so our people do miss out.
I believe that the retirement age for Maori should be reduced back to 60 so that our koro and kuia can enjoy their mokopuna and most importantly share their knowledge.
again kia ora for all that you are doing for us
na manaaki
Elva Turner
Madalene Frost says:
Post Author October 12, 2011 at 4:56 pmI agree, Elva. In fact fewer than 50% of Maori men live long enough to get the pension now after working – many since they were 15 or younger in hard, and dangerous work, such as construction, forestry, and fishing. By comparison the upper middle classes who are reaching retirement age now or soon, have had free tertiary education, many till their mid 20s, virtually free health care, and the earning power from their free education to buy flash houses and live lavish lifestyles.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not just spouting the politics of envy. It is a statistical reality that the poor, of whatever ethnicity, always have worse life chances – in health, housing and life expectancy – than the rich. Yet the rich get the goodies at the end of life, while the poor majority subsidise them and die before they get a chance to enjoy any time in ‘retirement’ with a guaranteed secure income. Where is the equity in that, Mr Key, Mr Goff and Dr Brash?
It is time for a change! Go Mana!