Grey Power Otago AGM

Thank you for inviting me to address your Annual General Meeting today.

I enjoy meeting with Grey Power representatives in different parts of the country. I recently spoke at your National Federation's annual conference in Christchurch, and also at the Grey Power Wanganui meeting last month, so I've been kept well informed lately on where your organisation is at and the issues that affect you.

What has been pleasing to see is the support Grey Power has given to this new coalition Government. In March, at your Federation's annual conference, Don Robertson said the signs were good and point to a return to political integrity. He said be believed that this country was returning to those principles where people count more than the market.

I agree. For too long, ordinary New Zealanders have been swept aside in the tidal wave of free market reform. And that brings with it an enormous cost, which is borne by the most vulnerable members of our society – those for whom the market cannot and will not deliver.

I am pleased that we have stemmed the tide, and restored the focus on people. I hope that much of that will become apparent on the 15th of June, which is the day of the Budget.

To clarify my role in Government, I often make the point that I am the Minister of Immigration, but the Minister for Senior Citizens. This means I am your advocate in Cabinet.

It is my role, not to advance legislation, but rather to promote issues to the portfolio Ministers with responsibility in the particular area. I am your voice at the Cabinet Table. Fortunately, this is not a difficult task.

This coalition Government values the contribution older New Zealanders have made, and continue to make, to this country.

That is why we made the promise before the election to restore the superannuation floor. It was one of the seven commitments, Helen Clark made to the electorate, and we have delivered. And what is more, we delivered, not merely on the actual promise, but also on the spirit of the promise.

When we took office the method for calculating the average wage had been adjusted by Statistics NZ. A strict application of our commitment would have seen a modest increase in superannuation but we decided to use the old calculation.

That meant superannuitants received the increase they were expecting to receive, and that's the spirit I'm talking about.

And the feedback has been positive. I've received letters and phone calls, as have all my colleagues, thanking us for delivering what we promised.

But I believe this is ridiculous. It should be expected that political parties keep their promises?

In my experience it has been older New Zealanders who have been the most bewildered by the change to MMP, the Party-hopping and the failure to keep promises.

It was older New Zealanders, who were really let down by the breach of faith between the political parties who made up the last Government and the people who elected them there.

And in that regard, I see it as an important function of ours to restore faith in the parliamentary process, as well as faith in the elected representatives to do the right thing. That's why I am such a strong advocate for the anti-defection Bill that is currently before the House.

That Bill basically says – if you leave the Party that got you elected to Parliament then you have to leave Parliament as well. I am amazed at those who oppose the Bill – if you want to be an independent MP then stand as one. If you want to form your own Party, then stand under its banner. If you want to join another Party, then stand for it. To allow this situation to continue is, in my view, dishonest, unethical, and it lacks the political mandate required of a House of Representatives.

I have brought a new focus to the role of Minister for Senior Citizens. In my view the previous administration places too much emphasis on ill-health and disability. My role is to develop a Positive Aging Strategy for New Zealanders, focussing on well-being and participation.

It will not be my role to deliver on the strategy, per se, but rather to promote an inter-sectoral approach to the range of issues that affect older New Zealander's ability to participate.

The range of issues stretches from Superannuation, through Housing, Health, Disability Support, Adult Education, Transport, Community Involvement, Security, Residential Care, Carere Support, Home Help … the list goes on.

It is a different approach that places the older person at the centre of the picture, and ensures that the range of services and the support mechanisms are appropriate to encourage participation and independence.

You asked me to also talk about what this coalition Government is doing about Law and Order and address concerns you have about the current drivers' licencing regime and also look at superannuation.

LAW AND ORDER

I understand very well the need to feel secure in one's home and to not feel scared when leaving home. Media coverage of serious violent offences tends to make us feel more at risk than we are. However, feeling safe and secure in your own home is one of those basic necessities of life.

One of the seven commitments was to crack down on burglary and youth crime.

The Minister of Police, George Hawkins, has told police around the country that burglary will not be tolerated. That more emphasis must be placed on reducing response times to burglaries.

And this is an important area to target. One of the things we know about burglary is that it is too often the pre-cursor to more serious crimes. Serious violent offenders usually have a string of burglary convictions a mile long – and they often start young. Intervening early in the pattern of offending will reduce crime, and more importantly the victims of crime.

And we need to start that intervention even earlier still. The Hon Phil Goff is a serious advocate for early intervention programmes that stop young kids from going off the track in the first place.

However, there are other measures. I still believe that the risk of getting caught is one of the strongest deterrents to crime, which is why I'm pleased that Hon. George Hawkins has reaffirmed his commitment to keeping frontline police numbers and not letting them be cut.

But I think most importantly, this coalition Government has made a commitment to not let anything like the INCIS fiasco ever occur again. This country wasted almost $120 million on that mistake. That's about $500,000 a month. That's $120 million that could have been spent on a better system, better resourcing or even improving the rate of resolution.

SUPERANNUATION

I have already mentioned what we have done so far about superannuation. I would like to add this.

The Labour Party strongly supports the ringfencing of a superannuation fund. I know older New Zealanders do not want superannuation to continue to be a political football, being kicked between the different parties with no real solution. Labour supported the superannuation accord. But the National Party brought all that to an end.

What we would like to do is have this current scheme entrenched so that it would need at least 75 percent support of all Parliamentarians to change it.
But this is still a minority coalition Government and the work is going in to build the numbers needed to change the law. The other option is getting a referendum to support entrenchment.

It is only fair that the financial future for older New Zealanders is stable and secure. We should all be able to know exactly where we stand when we get to retirement age.

DRIVERS' LICENCING

It seems the drivers' licencing regime that has been implemented is causing concern for a number of older drivers. I have discussed this issue with Grey Power Wanganui, as well as Age Concern representatives.

When I addressed the Wanganui meeting, they informed me that they had been collecting information that older drivers are not being treated fairly when sitting their practical tests. That the assessment process is not being applied equitably throughout the country. This goes for the testing of drivers who are over 80 years of age.

Also, they felt that some older drivers failed their tests after being tested in areas where they wouldn't normally drive. It would be like some older drivers from Middlemarch, being tested in central Dunedin. I would agree that that doesn't sound fair.

As Minister for Senior Citizens, I would be extremely concerned if there are unfair practices and discrimination towards older people occurring over drivers' licences. I would like to say that I will act on any information I receive in this regard.
GENERAL

I have been doing a lot of work lately with the Senior Citizens' Unit in Wellington. We are currently working positive aging strategies and other initiatives that I believe have been left languishing for too long under the previous Government.

But I would like to add that positive attitudes are important. Society needs to realise that just because people have retired from work, that it does not mean they have retired from life. I believe that and I would hope that the community changes their attitudes to reflect this as well.

It is that ability to participate, that sense of belonging, that makes us part of our communities. Prior to the election, I was Labour’s spokesperson on Youth Affairs. People did think that it was ironic that the Youth Spokesperson became the Senior Citizens Minister. However, in my experience the issues are not entirely different.

Young people who do not have that sense of belonging can become alienated and troubled; older people can become isolated and afraid.

So, it seems to me that building or maintaining the ability to participate is vital at either end of life’s spectrum, which is why I am a strong supporter of the positive aging and aging in place philosophies that underpin the approach that I have adopted in this portfolio.

Thank you for the invitation to meet with you this afternoon. I hope that Grey Power continues to see this government as approachable and ready to listen. I welcome meeting representatives from your organisation and look forward to many more occasions such as this.