Politics and funding the aging population There are those in positions of power in New Zealand - be they in government, business or the media - who are given to the view, that in the future there will be fewer people in the work force supporting a larger number in retirement. Those who espouse this view claim that fewer people in employment means less tax available to the government and that therefore the individual must learn to pay for his or her own life costs, including superannuation. This view is widely held in New Zealand and is a cause for concern to the individual. This state of affairs is largely the result of a compliant media. It is suggested however that in any democratic society it is the total wealth available to a society for disposal that is of consequence. The question of the proportion of generators of wealth to consumers of wealth is irrelevant. There is an example of a counter argument  here