I am constantly dismayed when I hear older members of the community and retires complaining about rate increases and the cost of living. I am more concerned with families struggling to pay rent, buy a home and feed their families. I also worry that children are becoming more insecure because their parents both must work to provide the basics for their families like food and housing. When we retire, we will have a mortgage free home apart from the bit we borrowed against the asset for nice to haves and a little extra cash set aside in savings. We will be able to live on the NZS just as we lived on one wage while we raised seven children. We will not have money to travel the world but have already had a few overseas holidays so we will not miss anything. And our grown children who have moved further afield are more than accessible by modern communication devices. As well as this they moved we didn’t. I would encourage older people to count your blessings and look to the younger generation and their needs and give support to government policies that offer them the same opportunities that we had. Live simply so others simply live.

Teresa Homan

0223127259

A “thank you” to Teresa Homan for sending this letter to The Upper Hutt Connection.

24/07/25