18 Aug 2015

More people trying to access Kiwisaver early due to hardship

From Nine To Noon, 9:19 am on 18 August 2015

In the last financial year, 8276 people made financial hardship withdrawals from the scheme, worth more than 41 million dollars. The numbers have been steadily rising since the scheme was introduced in 2007. The Federation of Family Budgeting Services says more and more people are asking for help to try to access Kwisaver due to hardship, and are often upset that they cannot get as much as they think they can. Geoff Curson is the coordinator of the Newtown Budgeting and Advocacy Service; and Bruce Kerr is the executive director of Workplace Savings New Zealand.