A rising number of people are having to dig into their retirement scheme just to get by.

The latest Financial Market Authority report shows $43 million was withdrawn from KiwiSaver because of significant financial hardship in the year to March this year - up 38 percent on the previous 12 months.

Mary Holm, author of three books on KiwiSaver, says to some extent it reflects the fact the economy isn't quite as healthy as it was a year ago.

"We also need to take into account that KiwiSaver balances are growing each year, so there's that much more that can be taken out, and also the possibility that more people are aware they can get money out if they are in financial difficulties," Holm said.

"But it's not as if we've suddenly got a huge leap in unemployment or anything like that. One possibility is that dairy farmers who have been in tough financial times recently have taken money out."

Green Party finance spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter claims the growth in hardship withdrawals is faster than growth in new people joining KiwiSaver.

"It's almost nine thousand people withdrawing from KiwiSaver due to significant financial hardship and there's quite a lot of proof that you have to pass through to qualify for that," Genter said.

"It's evidence that there are a number of Kiwis who are struggling, and that number is increasing year on year. The Green Party would like to see a much bigger focus on policies that would address poverty, especially child poverty."