Declining standards Managing in retirement

Your article on the value of charter schools (News, December 10) reminds me that state education is said to be failing.

The New Zealand education system was founded as free, compulsory, and secular. The mix and integration of rich and poor, all ethnic groups and religions is most important for the country.

In the past the Department of Education looked after school maintenance and its inspectors ensured that teaching standards were being maintained. Elected school committees represented the parents.

Looking back, the Labour Party introduced Tomorrow’s Schools, which was an unnecessary and damaging change. Under National, schools chose their pupils, zoning was done away with, and school buses roamed about picking up their flock.

I hope that the present government can return education to what we know worked well in the past.

Robin I Thompson, Timaru

We grew up with the expectation of national superannuation being there for us in our retirement (“Where is the care for the elderly in this country?”, Letters, December 10). We are hopeful that if the new coalition government reduces tax on lower incomes that it takes the tax off national superannuation which Greypower has been lobbying for since its inception .

The past 18 months have put at least 30% of citizens over 65 onto the breadline with significant cost of living increases.

We are in dire need of tax relief and to finally have tax removed from national superannuation. Oh, how we would like to be the politicians and judges with their gold-plated government-subsidised superannuation.

Mate Marinovich, president, Waitakere Grey Power Association

Philip Boel's letter complaining that he and his wife, who are 67 and 64 respectively, cannot live off national superannuation because they have a mortgage both saddened and annoyed me.

The statement that mortgage-free retirees are the minority is just plain wrong. According to Stats NZ, 80% of retirees between 65 and 80 own their own dwelling. The percentage drops for those aged over 80, probably due to a higher proportion of that cohort being in managed care facilities.

It has been obvious for many years that trying to live off national superannuation and pay rent or a mortgage was going to be hard. That’s why I did work that I didn't - from time to time - particularly enjoy.

We had investments along the way. Some worked out (thankfully), some caused us quite a bit of pain (e.g. leaky investment apartments, excessive fees).

My wife and I have been mortgage-free for a few years and had a reasonable nest egg when I finally stopped work, which I did this year just before turning 71. Our life might seem a bit frugal but we regard it as pretty good.

We contributed to national superannuation for the generations that came before us and appreciate that the current working generation is paying ours.

Older generations often say that the younger generations should take more responsibility for themselves and rely less on the Government. It seems like each generation has a group that, rightly or wrongly, expects government help.

Jon Eriksen, Auckland