More retirees could be out on the street unless there’s urgent Government intervention, according to the Retirement Commissioner.
Jane Wrightson is backing a petition organised by the Christchurch Methodist Mission that is calling for action to address the housing crisis facing older people.
"There's some levers Government can pull. One is getting a long-term housing plan that doesn't get tipped out every time there's a new government," Wrightson said.
The Housing and Urban Development Ministry estimated that more than 5000 people are currently living on the street, in a garage or a vehicle, with a quarter aged over 65.
Research shows that by 2048, 40% of all retirees will be renting or still paying a mortgage, Wrightson said.
"And NZ Super is not designed to cover this; NZ Super is designed to cover living costs.
"You are by that stage meant to have a mortgage-free house or you're meant to have affordable public housing, and both of those systems are under considerable stress, as you know."
She said women are particularly vulnerable, especially because they get hit harder by divorce and "come out with less money".
Wrightson said they save less money than men due to the gender pay gap, which then turns into the retirement savings gap.
"They've got less buffer than anybody else. There used to be rows and rows of pension flats, and they were usually the majority population of those who are older women," she said.
"Now pension and flats are disappearing, and the problem is … both the national government and the local government have been busy lobbing the blame at each other.
"What we need in this country to solve what is clearly going to be an impending problem is a long-term accord on housing that doesn't flip-flop between governments."
Jane Wrightson is backing a petition calling for action to address the housing crisis. (Source: 1News)
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said he was aware of the problem but has not "received any extensive advice on that recently".
"It's a very critical part of our demographic and we need to look at it," Potaka said.
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