Pension Payments and Receipts by New Zealand Birth Cohorts, 1916-1986

This paper analyses how much different cohorts can expect to contribute into the PAYGO-funded New Zealand Superannuation scheme, and contrasts it with the amount each cohort can be expected to obtain in benefits if the current scheme is continued. The analysis is based on historic census and contributions data and SNZ projections of future population trends. The results show that cohorts born prior to 1980 can expect to pay half as much as they can expect to get in retirement benefits, because of the small number of pension recipients when they made the bulk of their payments