National pledges to further increase the default KiwiSaver contribution rate, if re-elected at the next election.
The announcement is the first firm National policy before the election, which is still about a year away.
At the Budget, the government confirmed an increase to the default contribution from three percent to four by 2028.
In a speech to National Party members in Upper Hutt, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, even after those changes, KiwiSaver contributions would still be lower than Australia's equivalent scheme and he wanted to aim higher.
"For Kiwis working in New Zealand, that means smaller KiwiSaver balances, and less financial security than friends or family working and saving in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne."
Luxon said, if re-elected, National would continue to gradually increase the default contribution rates by 0.5 percent a year until 2032, when both employees and employers would pay in six percent each.
As the government is the country's biggest employer, the policy was estimated to cost about $90m a year for each 0.5 percent increase.
Nicola Willis and Christopher Luxon announce the KiwiSaver policy. Photo: RNZ
National expected this would be met within agencies' baselines, although some funding for cost pressures "could become available for certain agencies".
National finance spokesperson and current Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she expected that would be "very manageable" within current operating allowance forecasts.
"The government needs to be a good employer," she said. "That means making these contributions and we can afford to do what is a priority for us."
Unlike Australia, where the contribution rate is 12 percent, the scheme would not be compulsory.
Despite a press release stating the policy would "match" Australia's rate, Willis acknowledged there were differences - notably that Australia did not have universal superannuation.
"Universal superannuation is here to stay," she said. "At the same time, we think having KiwiSaver as a voluntary product makes sense."
Luxon said there would not be any means testing as long as he was prime minister.
"I just think it should be an entitlement that all New Zealanders receive. It's been a longstanding feature of our system and, frankly, I think people end up trying to organise their affairs around means testing and other things.
"They just need a lot more certainty that it's there as they need it."
Hinting that National would once again campaign on raising the superannuation age, Luxon said the KiwiSaver changes were because "different generations of Kiwis in their 20s, their 30s, their 40s, are going to need to make sure they're also augmenting that with investments in KiwiSaver".
Also at the Budget, the government halved its annual contribution to a maximum of $260.72 and removed it for anyone earning more than $180,000 a year.
Despite the changes to employer and employee contributions, Willis said the government contribution would remain the same. The pair did not expect pushback from small businesses, saying the lead-in gave them enough time to plan.
Willis said she was "pleasantly surprised" by employers' response to the Budget changes.
"I was nervous that they would push back," she said. "In fact, they have been some of the biggest supporters.
"They have said to me it's important for New Zealand's future that people are saving more. It actually makes a big difference to their workers, that they have a bigger deposit available to buy a home, that they are watching their nest egg growing in KiwiSaver.
"It grows their economic literacy, so I think employers will get on board with this vision."
The speech marked two years of the coalition, with the anniversary coming up on Thursday.
Luxon focused on what he said the government had delivered in terms of education, law and order, and the economy.
"National has been fixing the basics," he said. "An end to the era of wasteful spending - supporting lower inflation and lower interest rates to begin easing the cost of living.
"Fewer ram raids, less crime, gang patches banned and more police on the beat, making New Zealand's streets safer. Stronger achievement in our classrooms and kids getting back to school to better set them up for life.
"Now we're building the future."
The most recent Ipsos Issues Monitor saw the government's performance reach a new low, with Labour overtaking National as the party New Zealanders believe was most able to handle the economy.
Labour was rated best able to handle 15 of the top 20 concerns, while National was only rated best on crime/law and order, and defence/foreign affairs.
Luxon acknowledged it had been a "difficult time" for many families and businesses, particularly in the middle of the year.
"In the months following the Budget, there were plenty of calls for emergency measures, but we're not going back to the sugar-rush economics of more people and more debt to make up for every economic crack and wobble."
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