
Can I Actually Count on NZ Super Being There For Me?
From Making Cents by Frances Cook
June 10, 2026 · 15 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the reliability of NZ Super for retirement planning and explores various financial strategies for achieving financial freedom.
Retirement planning is stressful enough without governments constantly threatening to move the goalposts. Means testing, wealth taxes, a rising retirement age; how much of it is real, and how much can you actually count on NZ Super? Katie Wesney, National Coaching Lead at EnableMe, joins us in the hot seat to cut through the noise. We get into whether the pension is a plan or just a foundation, what the actual numbers look like week to week in retirement, how KiwiSaver, property, and investments fit together, and why worrying about a wealth tax might be the most expensive mistake you make. Plus: the one mindset shift that separates people who reach financial freedom from people who are still waiting for a politician to sort it out. If retirement feels far away, close, or just confusing, this one's for you. In this episode: How much can you actually rely on NZ Super? What does retirement actually cost week to week? How KiwiSaver, property, and investments work together Should you worry about means testing or a wealth tax? How to build a retirement plan that doesn't depend on government settings staying the same If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through…
People in this episode
Host: Frances Cook
Guest: Katie Wesney
Topics covered
- retirement planning
- NZ Super
- financial freedom
- KiwiSaver
- wealth tax
- means testing
Keywords
- retirement
- NZ Super
- KiwiSaver
- wealth tax
- financial planning
- means testing
- investments
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: EnableMe
Places: NZ
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