Nearly a million people in New Zealand are currently receiving Superannuation, getting payments of between nearly $600 and just over $1000 every fortnight.  

But in this cost of living crisis, how easy is it to survive on the pension? 

Ed McKnight tried living on it for a week and came to a couple of conclusions around what it would be like to retire. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Nearly a million people in New Zealand are currently receiving Superannuation, getting payments of between nearly $600 and just over $1000 every fortnight. &nbsp;
But in this cost of living crisis, how easy is it to survive on the pension?&nbsp;
Ed McKnight tried living on it for a week and came to a couple of conclusions around what it would be like to retire.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB.

News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB. News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Best of 2025: Ed McKnight unpacks how easy it is to live off the pension

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/a254c139-ec02-4b04-8038-b3d10029593f/transcript

The Gambler by J P Pomare 

PI Vince Reid is visiting an old friend when he's offered a case he can't refuse: Why did a respected local woman open fire at a political rally, killing a promising young university graduate? It's easy money, he's told. A sure thing. 

 

Spies and Other Gods by John Wolff 

This spy thriller is set apart from others by being narrated by a kind of collective voice of MI5 - it's the spies watching the spies. 

LISTEN ABOVE

The Gambler by J P Pomare&nbsp;
PI Vince Reid is visiting an old friend when he's offered a case he can't refuse: Why did a respected local woman open fire at a political rally, killing a promising young university graduate? It's easy money, he's told. A sure thing.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Spies and Other Gods by John Wolff&nbsp;
This spy thriller is set apart from others by being narrated by a kind of collective voice of MI5 - it's the spies watching the spies.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Catherine Raynes: 'The Gambler' by J P Pomare and 'Spies and Other Gods' by John Wolff

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/77c0a383-a968-4de1-a2f9-b3fe018ae1d0/transcript

Kate Hall shares her tips for environmentally-conscious hiking, making sure that New Zealand's hiking tracks remain green for those who follow.

Sustainable tramping & hiking 
Borrow or hire gear instead of buying for one trip if you don't hike frequently.
Buy second-hand outdoor clothing and equipment.
Choose durable, repairable gear over ultracheap options.
Pack food in reusable containers or beeswax wraps.
Avoid single-serve snack packaging where possible.
Take all rubbish home, including food scraps.
Stick to tracks to protect ecosystems.
Use biodegradable soap and only away from waterways.
Choose merino or natural fibres that don’t shed microplastic

Kate Hall shares her tips for environmentally-conscious hiking, making sure that New Zealand's hiking tracks remain green for those who follow.
Sustainable tramping &amp; hiking&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Borrow or hire gear instead of buying for one trip if you don't hike frequently.</li>
<li>Buy second-hand outdoor clothing and equipment.</li>
<li>Choose durable, repairable gear over ultracheap options.</li>
<li>Pack food in reusable containers or beeswax wraps.</li>
<li>Avoid single-serve snack packaging where possible.</li>
<li>Take all rubbish home, including food scraps.</li>
<li>Stick to tracks to protect ecosystems.</li>
<li>Use biodegradable soap and only away from waterways.</li>
<li>Choose merino or natural fibres that don’t shed microplastic</li>
</ul>

Kate Hall: Sustainable tramping & hiking

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/01c923f0-6f1f-45a9-97ee-b3fe0187725c/transcript

We built a new Tunnel house around Christmas – meaning: we were far too late with our summer crop – just a few plants waited patiently in their pots to be put in the new facility and yes… they are having a go.  



Relative warmth in February, March and April gives them ability to grow fruit well into autumn and when they are inside glass houses or tunnel houses they’ll even carry on in early winter. (that’s the situation in Canterbury) 

In warmer areas it is usually a lot easier to keep on going; Auckland was a great place to keep the climbers on track. 

A Sunny patch in the vegetable garden is probably one of the most important contributing factors. Six or even more hours a day is needed to keep it all going. 

This year has been a pain – everything needs adjustment.  



In our garden everything is late. But planting sizable tomatoes in early January is rather ridiculous… But there are some things you can do to get some crops in late summer.  

It is important to trim the bottom new side shoots and let air circulate as much as possible. Trim off he yellow leaves too. 

 

This is what it looks like after trimming. 

The air movement reduces relative humidity and that allows the leaves below to dry much quicker. No fungal troubles ahead! 

Keep on removing the “laterals” that form in between the new leaves – laterals attempt to make more and more side shoots, but too many of them result in too many small fruits all over the plants. 

We had to plant our late tomatoes in excellent soil that looked and acted like compost-rich material. This allowed a quick and useful, fertile soil around the main stalk. This in itself made the roots grow fast and in all sorts of directions.  

Every week or 10 days I made sure that the plants were well watered with a decent amount of water over the plant’s area of growth. Nitrophoska Blue is a brilliant complex of fertilizer in the form of a granular mixture. When plants are watered the granules are slowly released and deposited around the root zone. 

 

Every 2 days I aim to gently water the plants; not too much… just keeping up with the liquid fertiliser which allows the tomatoes to grow new, deep-green leaves and healthy new fruits. My secret is SeaWeed Tea from Wet and Forget. I dilute the Seaweed Tea in the watering can (or an old plastic drinking bottle) to make the liquid look like a week tea.  

The brilliant trick is to water the plants and root zones every 2 days or so and add some liquid fertiliser at the same time. 

The tomatoes will reward you with great, tasty fruit while growing with Vapour Trails, so to speak. That means keeping an eye on the density of foliage, which needs to be trimmed regularly – give the plants space! 

LISTEN ABOVE

We built a new Tunnel house around Christmas – meaning: we were far too late with our summer crop – just a few plants waited patiently in their pots to be put in the new facility and yes… they are having a go. &nbsp;

Relative warmth in February, March and April gives them ability to grow fruit well into autumn and when they are inside glass houses or tunnel houses they’ll even carry on in early winter. (that’s the situation in Canterbury)&nbsp;
In warmer areas it is usually a lot easier to keep on going; Auckland was a great place to keep the climbers on track.&nbsp;
A Sunny patch in the vegetable garden is probably one of the most important contributing factors. Six or even more hours a day is needed to keep it all going.&nbsp;
This year has been a pain – everything needs adjustment. &nbsp;

In our garden everything is late. But planting sizable tomatoes in early January is rather ridiculous… But there are some things you can do to get some crops in late summer. &nbsp;
It is important to trim the bottom new side shoots and let air circulate as much as possible. Trim off he yellow leaves too.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
This is what it looks like after trimming.&nbsp;
The air movement reduces relative humidity and that allows the leaves below to dry much quicker. No fungal troubles ahead!&nbsp;
Keep on removing the “laterals” that form in between the new leaves – laterals attempt to make more and more side shoots, but too many of them result in too many small fruits all over the plants.&nbsp;
We had to plant our late tomatoes in excellent soil that looked and acted like compost-rich material. This allowed a quick and useful, fertile soil around the main stalk. This in itself made the roots grow fast and in all sorts of directions. &nbsp;
Every week or 10 days I made sure that the plants were well watered with a decent amount of water over the plant’s area of growth. Nitrophoska Blue is a brilliant complex of fertilizer in the form of a granular mixture. When plants are watered the granules are slowly released and deposited around the root zone.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Every 2 days I aim to gently water the plants; not too much… just keeping up with the liquid fertiliser which allows the tomatoes to grow new, deep-green leaves and healthy new fruits. My secret is SeaWeed Tea from Wet and Forget. I dilute the Seaweed Tea in the watering can (or an old plastic drinking bottle) to make the liquid look like a week tea. &nbsp;
The brilliant trick is to water the plants and root zones every 2 days or so and add some liquid fertiliser at the same time.&nbsp;
The tomatoes will reward you with great, tasty fruit while growing with Vapour Trails, so to speak. That means keeping an eye on the density of foliage, which needs to be trimmed regularly – give the plants space!&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Ruud Kleinpaste: Tomatoes later in season

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/facda9aa-342d-4866-812e-b3fe018635ca/transcript

Best of 2025: Ed McKnight unpacks how easy it is to live off the pension

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