Pacific Coast Village Opening

Welcome to the opening of the first three villas at Pacific Coast Village.

Thank you for inviting me here today.

This is an exciting time for the developers who are a joint venture partnership arrangement between Maori Incorporated - Mangatawa Papamoa Blocks Inc who own this land, and Retirement Assets Ltd who are developing and managing the village. 

It is also, of course, an important moment for the first residents - who I understand are just waiting for me to hand over the keys so they can move in.

And it's a significant event for Tauranga and Bay of Plenty. 

In five years time when this development is completed, I'm told  there will be 85 villas, 162 apartments and an aged residential care facility.

Future plans are for a community centre which will provide; a cinema, restaurant, library, heated pool, as well as a nurse clinic and visiting doctors' rooms. 

There'll also be an internet café planned - and a sports bar, as well as meeting and function rooms, lounges, craft rooms and on site management facilities - an integrated health centre with entertainment all on site - in a resort style theme.

Where can I put my name down?

Acknowledgements

Before we go any further I'd like to acknowledge a number of the people responsible for this splendid new retirement complex for some of the elderly in our district.

First I'd like to acknowledge Tristar Construction, the main contractor, particularly for their attention to quality constriction;

Chris Neno, of Pure Landscapes, in creating a special environment for the village;

and Shane Egan, and the Kiwibank team from Wellington, for their support in assisting the project through an innovative approach to the provision of development funding.

You have developed a residential care facility that will give your residents the experience of retirement living at its best.   

Government Priorities

Our population is ageing. 

The numbers of older people are increasing - as are the numbers of those living into very old age.

They have all made an important contribution to this country throughout their lifetime. 

They deserve our support and best care in their retirement.

The Government is committed to supporting our elderly - in all the lifestyle choices they make in their retirement - whether that choice is to live independently in their own homes or in the various stages of residential care that places like Pacific Coast Village can offer.

This Government wants to support and help our increasing numbers of elderly to have positive experiences as they move into later life.

We are delivering an extra $18 Million per year to improve the quality of supervision and nursing in aged residential care facilities to help them support and retain nursing staff.

We are funding an extra $5 million per year for more respite beds - so that people looking after their elderly at home can take a break when they need it.

We have also introduced spot audits of rest homes and are publishing the results - in plain English - on the Ministry of Health website for elderly people and their families.

And we're now auditing the auditors - checking that auditors are doing their jobs properly. 

On top of that, the Ministry of Health is developing a profile of "at risk" rest homes which will be overlaid across the 700 or so rest homes we have in NZ.

This will assist DHBs and the sector to identify those rest homes that may need additional supervision and monitoring.

It is vitally important to maintain public confidence in the standard of care being provided in the country's rest homes and ensure that confidence is well placed.

Future Planning

Developing a sustainable aged care sector is a key strategic priority for the Government. 

The current approximately 570,000 older people aged 65 years in New Zealand are expected to have increased to 1.07 million older people by 2031. 

And they'll be a lot more active in the community.

Nearly half of 65 year old men (40%) and a quarter of 65 year old women are still working.  200,000 over 65s are in the workforce today compared to only 73,000 in the eighties. That is nearly three times as many.

It's a dramatic increase and while some are working because they need the money, many employers are also recognizing the value of keeping older, more experienced staff around. And older people are increasingly finding stimulation and enjoyment in staying in the workforce.

It is also healthier to stay physically and mentally active longer.  Especially for warding off age related diseases like Alzheimer's and related dementia. 

• A study at Johns Hopkins in the US found that people who engaged in four or more physical activities, from gardening to biking, had about half the risk of dementia compared with those who engaged in one or none.


• Time spent in full-time education also appears to be negatively associated with dementia.


• Some research has suggested a possible link between a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and people with mentally demanding jobs

Quality of life for people at 65 is a lot better than it used to be.

People are fitter, healthier and more active. And they can expect to be so for longer.

65 year old men can - on average - expect to live until they're 83 - 65 year old women until they're 87. That's a boost to their life spans of five years since 1961.

The largest relative population increase is projected to be those aged 85 years and over.  This is obviously our key population of interest for funded care and support. 

The need to get ready for these population changes has been recognised by the sector with DHBs and aged care providers agreeing to work together to review aged residential care. 

This working group is looking into how to improve the long term needs of aged residential care, looking at workforce, alternative models of care, future demand and supply, and costs.

What they find out will inform our future planning of improvements in caring for the aged.

Long term trends in aged care

A key goal is making sure there is a comprehensive and seamless continuum of care for older people.

We need to consider the full range of health and support services that could benefit older people wherever they are spending their retirement: preventive, primary, secondary, and palliative care, as well as their links to support services.

There should not be gaps in services, there should be timely access for older people and services that link with each other.   

Good needs assessment directs people to the right assistance in the right order.

Improvements in primary care are a priority - especially for the growing numbers of elderly who are able and wish to live in their own homes longer.

Some of these services are expected to be developed through the better sooner more convenient policy development in primary care supporting the frail elderly. 

The development of retirement villages such as yours will also be part of that development of a continuum of care for its residents. 

Close

The Government recognises that developments such as this village provide alternative responses and opportunities for people to make choices for their future. 

These choices include the type of housing that will suit them and other support needs they might have in the future.

Your village will not only give older people who come to live here an experience of living in a place where they can be cared for and supported, it will also give them a place where they can explore new opportunities and make new friends while enjoying their retirement years.  

I congratulate you on your vision and planning for the future older population of your district and others who will want to come and live here.  

Thank you for the opportunity to officially open the Pacific Coast Retirement Village today.

I wish you every success with your venture into the future.

And to our first residents of Pacific Coast Village -  Welcome

 As that often quoted author 'anonymous' said 

"It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home. And may your home always be too small to hold all of your friends."

Now I'd like to present our first residents the keys to their new home;

Colin and Gillian Buckey - Villa 3,

Don and Beverley Allen - Villa 1 and  

Fred and Gillian Berryman - Villa 4.