Super in the Sun Laws No Use to Over One Million Expat New Zealanders, Expat Says

Over one million New Zealanders will lose or have lost their Kiwi Super (Pension) entitlement as a result of the greatest government sponsored scam in history, said soon to be retired Geoff Ogilvie from his office in Bangkok, Thailand.

(PRWEB) May 14, 2009 -- A recent news item in the Sunday Star-Times by reporter Rob Stock has angered expat New Zealanders like soon to be retired Geoff Ogilvie. Rob Stock's article said that if the proposed amendment is passed it will possibly come into effect in November 2010. The amendment seeks to introduce a formula that would allow Kiwis to receive up to 100% of their NZ Government Super (Pension) overseas.

The problem that Geoff Ogilvie and his concerned group has is that, earlier legislation introduced in 2001 made fundamental change in the eligibility rules for Kiwi Super that effectively excludes them from any payments. "This will impact over a million expat Kiwis," said Mr Ogilvie.

In correspondence with the Minister of Social Development Hon Paula Bennett, Mr Ogilvie revealed that by changing Kiwi Super to a welfare payment the eligibility rules specifically exclude expatriate Kiwis who in many cases had paid taxes in NZ for decades.

Geoff Ogilvie quoted from a letter he received from the Minister that stated "No person is entitled to a New Zealand pension unless the person is:

a. Ordinarily resident in New Zealand on the date of application.

b. Has been both resident and present in New Zealand for a period or periods aggregating a period not less than 10 years since attaining the age of 20 and

c. Has also been both resident and present in New Zealand for a period or periods aggregating 5 years since attaining the age of 50.

Not only expat Kiwis are affected by the existing 2001 Kiwi Super rules. Wendy Brown, a NZ resident and Kiwi Super recipient, has had to curtail her charitable work in Thailand due to the Kiwi Super rules that prevent her from traveling outside NZ for extended periods to help Thai orphanages.

"What a complete rip off," a member of Mr Ogilvie's group fumed. "It brings to mind the 1980's song by the Reggae Rock Group UB40," said another disillusioned Kiwi.

Promises & Lies

All the sorrow and the pain

All the sacrifice in vain

I was much too blind to see

You make a loser out of me

You put me down for oh so long

While you sang your serpent's song

"With a potential concerned group of this size the NZ Government cannot expect my members to take this lying down," said Mr Ogilvie from his Bangkok office. "It is the greatest fraud in New Zealand's history and we intend to expose it and get justice for our members."

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