‘Couldn’t afford not to’: With no exit at 65 this is the reality of working in your 70s and 80s
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Rotorua truckdriver Warwick Pryce could only afford to retire recently - at the grand age of 84 - and that was only possible after a charity came to his rescue.
“My rent is now half what it was, so I was able to give up work. I was sick of being bounced around on a truck every morning.
Pryce is a mechanic, but has spent the last few years working as a truck driver, getting up before sunrise to transport fertiliser from Rotorua to Kawerau and back, every day.
He’d carried on working because he “couldn’t afford not to”.
Are you still working in your 70s, 80s or even 90s? If you are happy to share your name and experience, email us at annemarie.quill@stuffdigital.co.nz
Paying rent on a flat in Rotorua as well as other outgoings were more than his Super and a combination of charity and luck came to the rescue.
“I was lucky enough to be drawn in an Age Concern ballot to rent one of their tiny homes.”
Age Concern Rotorua recently installed three tiny homes on land it purchased at Ngongotaha to rent to members at a discounted rate, with the support of Rotorua Trust.
When Pryce moved in, only then could he finally retire from his paid job, but to give back, he drives other pensioners who don’t have cars in Age Concern minivans when needed.
“Much better than fertiliser.”
He told Stuff he feels lucky that he was able to work when he needed to, even though it got harder into his 80s.
“There are many who I know who need to work after 65 just to survive, but if you are not in good shape, you can’t.”
Recent talk of raising the retirement age to 73 is already the reality for 96,600 Kiwis aged 70 and over who, according to Stats NZ, are still working.
Milford Investments chief Blair Turnbull said at the New Zealand Economic Forum last week that unless the retirement age rises to 72 or 73, New Zealand can't afford to pay superannuation.
In a report last year Treasury said the retirement age needed to be raised to 72 over 40 years, and that Super should be means tested.
There is no official retirement age in New Zealand, but the common age to retire is 65 when NZ Super starts - a universal payment for NZ citizens and residents that is not means tested.
For Invercargill’s Dorothy Bulling raising the retirement age is more than a conversation killer.
“Do they want us all to die, working full-time after 65? For many with physically demanding jobs, that's what would happen.”
Now 82, she is a cleaner for charities such as Parkinson’s which her husband died of in 2020.
Bulling used to work as office manager for the rural engineering and machinery family business.
“Office work when you're dealing with phones, customers while doing all the tasks to keep a business functioning can be very demanding. I can only imagine how hard it must be for many who have done hard physical work.”
Tauranga’s Anne Pankhurst, a former councillor who is still working now as business support in art hub, The Incubator, says people may be working beyond 65 because they want to, or have no choice, or both.
“More people are working beyond 65, because they are still alive and vibrant and can, and have a huge amount to offer, and sincerely enjoy what they are doing, and 65 is the new 50, so why not.”
For many, the pension barely covers power and food, she says.
“Unless you have your own mortgage-free house, and a considerable amount of savings, you’re at a disadvantage and your enjoyment in life reduces dramatically.
“You can understand why older people go to bed early to save on power costs alone, let alone any other cost of living. Often older people are asset rich and cash poor which again affects their ability to enjoy their retirement.“
Age Concern New Zealand Chief Executive, Karen Billings-Jensen says there is an increasing number of people who remain in the workforce because of their financial situation including having a mortgage after 65 and other significant living expenses.
“We are concerned for those who feel they have no choice and are continuing to work alongside declining health. We see that the “big rocks” in terms of the cost of living are mortgage/rent, rates, electricity, healthcare and insurance – and then there is pressure around other debts or helping younger generations, let alone food.“
Figures from the Retirement Commission tell us that currently 40% of people in receipt of NZ Superannuation have no other income, and a further 20% only have a small amount of savings. These numbers point to the increasing number of older people making decisions to continue working for as long as they can.“
Ian Fraser, chief executive of Seniors at Work, is in his 70s as are many of his clients.
“I do get emails and phone calls from people in their 70s who are seeking advice and looking for work, mainly because they need to continue working.”
The number of people over 65 who are now working has increased very significantly since 2000, he says.
“An increase of 538% in people aged 65-69 and 750% in people aged 70+. Based on data I was given by Business NZ last year, we now have 47.1% of people aged 65-69, and 14.8% of those aged 70+, in employment.”
The politics of the retirement age
NZ First Leader, Winston Peters, 80, is one of the 100000 Kiwis working in their 70s and 80s. Peters collects Super, a spokesperson for NZ First confirmed to Stuff.
“New Zealand First supports the current settings for superannuation, including universal entitlement. It has been a long standing New Zealand First policy to keep superannuation entitlement at 65.“
National Party finance spokesperson Nicola Willis told Stuff they are committed to universal superannuation.
“It provides people with certainty, stability and clarity as they plan for the future,’ Willis said. ”We have previously campaigned on raising the retirement age to 67.
We agreed not to change it this term as per our coalition agreement with New Zealand First.
The sustainability of current super settings is an important conversation to have, and National will set out its position on the issue in due course. It's important any changes are well-signalled in advance so people have the ability to plan.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins told Stuff that raising the retirement age “would potentially cause significant hardship for New Zealanders, who can't work beyond 65.”
“In some cases, they can't find work. In other cases, their bodies just aren't up to continuing to do the work that they've been doing…By the age of 65, they've earned their retirement and they deserve, deserve to be able to retire.
There are questions for us as a country about how we fund superannuation in the long term, but raising the age of eligibility isn't one of those questions.“