Cost of living payments rising for 1.5 million Kiwis
Monday, 24 March 2025
About 1.5 million New Zealanders will see their regular payments increase from April 1 as part of the Government’s annual cost-of-living adjustment.
Most payments from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) will go up by between 2 and 3 per cent.
The annual adjustment is tied to inflation and, for pensioners, wage growth.
The biggest group to benefit is more than 933,000 people on New Zealand Superannuation, alongside 4900 veterans on the Veteran’s Pension. They will see increases of around 3 per cent, the Government says.
Other groups to receive more include:
409,300 people on main benefits such as Jobseeker Support or Sole Parent Support
47,400 students who get a student allowance
70,000 people not on a main benefit but receiving supplementary assistance
Payment changes are based on the Consumers Price Index (CPI), which was 2.22 per cent for the year to December 2024.
Pension increases are slightly higher because they are partly tied to wage growth as well as inflation.