NZ First Leader Winston Peters has drawn a firm line on the retirement age, describing his commitment to keep it unchanged as a "top line, not a bottom line".
His comments on Breakfast this morning came after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Newstalk ZB that NZ First and Labour were being "quite dishonest" by not facing up to the reality of raising the retirement age.
"I think just chucking it down the road to the kids and grandkids isn't the right way," Luxon said.
Luxon confirmed National would campaign on lifting the retirement age but didn't detail specifics. His 2023 policy proposed starting to lift the retirement age in 2037.
A Treasury report last year said keeping superannuation at 5.1% of GDP would require raising the retirement age to 72 over the next 40 years. Alternatively, it suggested raising income taxes by a third or increasing GST from 15% to 32% by 2065.
When asked if he would block National from power if they refused to back down on the policy, Peters shot back: "Don't tell me how to negotiate."
"It's not a bottom line, it's a top line," he said. "This is not going to change, guess why, because the elderly and the young, we've got to look after them. The ones in between, we've got to make all the great changes. We're not going to change."
Peters rejected claims he was being "dishonest" by not committing to raising the retirement age.
"Of course not," he replied. "This has been around for decades after decade after decade. Those people who are being dishonest are those who say they're 'not going to touch something, but we're going to change the age before 2038'."
Peters said superannuation made up just 5.2% of New Zealand's GDP, "half of what other countries are striving to combat".
"I'm saying to those MPs and Members of Parliament, and dare I say it, other parties who want to interfere with this commitment to the older people of this country, who now number almost a million, my answer to them is if you can't run the economy, get out of the way and let somebody who can run the economy."
On potential Super Gold Card changes, Peters hinted at announcements "coming very, very shortly" and expressed support for free GP visits for Gold Card holders.