North Shore Age Concern

Thank you for inviting to me to speak with you this afternoon. It is pleasing to see so many organisations represented here today.

I want to take use this opportunity to outline the work this coalition Government is doing and then take questions from you.

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.

It is that ability to participate, that sense of belonging, that makes us part of our communities. 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.

As Minister for Senior Citizens I am unashamedly an advocate for older New Zealanders. I make the point that I am Minister of Immigration, but Minister for Senior Citizens. It is my role to work to ensure that the interests of all senior citizens are well served by this coalition Government. Of course, this is not difficult, as this coalition Government does value 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, included on Helen Clark's commitment card, and we have delivered. And what is more we delivered not only 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. However, we decided to use the old calculation. That meant superannuitants received the increase they were expecting to receive.

And to ensure that no superannuitant would lose entitlement to the Community Services Card, the Government increased the thresholds at which people qualify for this benefit. The Disability Allowance threshold will increase later this year for the same reason.

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 let me ask you this. Don't you think 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.

And in that regard, I see it as an important function of ours, (the first genuine MMP Parliament), 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. To allow this 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 placed 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, that remains the role of the individual portfolio Ministers. I see my role as having strategic oversight in order 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, 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 services and support mechanisms are appropriate to encourage participation and independence.

The work your organisations do is invaluable and can help direct the way we continue to develop initiatives and projects that benefit older New Zealanders.

The International Year of Older Persons last year demonstrated the enormous contribution that older New Zealanders are making in their communities.
The variety of projects and activities that occurred showed the value of older people, the wisdom, expertise and skills that are able to be passed on to other generations.

Very soon, a report on the International Year of the Older Persons will be released. In it will be descriptions of the contributions made by local groups, communities and by government agencies during the year.

It will also contain research into ways that help keep older people independent, and I look forward to receiving that report. I would hope many of the initiatives carried out during the year continue this year and in the future.

Turning now to the two key topics that feature in my discussions with older New Zealanders – Superannuation and Health.

Superannuation

Labour strongly supports the ringfencing of a separate superannuation fund from current taxation, managed at arms length from government, and supervised by Guardians, who can ensure that the fund is not diverted for any other purpose.

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. This is why we would like to entrench the scheme – which requires at least 75 percent support of all parliamentarians to both implement and change. But this is still a minority coalition Government, and we still don't have the numbers to pass it, let alone entrench it. So we will work with all parties in the House to try to gain consensus, and even if we can only get 51% support for the proposal, then a referendum to entrench is possible.

At the end of the day, we want a robust superannuation scheme that is not at the whim of ruling political parties with different ideologies. 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.

Health

I would like to speak briefly about what this Government is doing about health, and how that might impact on older New Zealanders.

We are committed to the development of a National Health Strategy, with a focus on health promotion.
Unfortunately, in my view, the decision to include Older Persons Health in the Disability Support Sector, has created a cost-shifting incentive that operates to the detriment of older people and the disability sector.

Ruth Dyson, Associate Minister of Health with the delegation for Disability issues, and I will soon be releasing the National Health Committee report on Older Persons Health. This I hope will be the impetus for the very necessary debate that needs to occur about the impact of that decision. The reality is that the disability sector has been attempting to escape the medical model, whereas many older person's 'disabilities' are a combination of unmet medical needs. I believe both sectors are the poorer for this mismatch. So I will look forward to the debate that ensues, and I encourage you to play an active role in that.

The excellent contribution by Age Concern through its Ageing is Living programme means you are well-placed to contribute to the debate. Regardless of the outcome, it is obvious to me that a clearer policy focus on the health needs of older people is needed.

We are in the process of making significant changes to the structure of health services in New Zealand. It is our commitment to rid ourselves of the vestiges of the failed market model imposed in the 90s.

This Government's focus will be on people, not profit and to cut waiting times for surgery. It was one of seven commitments we made prior to the election. Older New Zealanders stand to gain from this approach.

The Ministry of Health and District Health Boards are to take over the functions of the Health Funding Authority. These District Health Boards will include local representation and will reflect the needs of their local community.

It is exciting to be part of these changes, and I am confident that we can work quickly to redress the inequities that developed under the previous model.

That's probably enough from me, as I am sure your questions will pick up on some of the issues I haven't mentioned.

Suffice it to say, that as Minister for Senior Citizens, I want to be able to reflect on my first term as Minister with a sense of achievement in the full range of matters that affect the lives of older New Zealanders. In order to achieve that I need to maintain a constant dialogue with your organisation, and the other groups that represent the same interests.

I hope that you continue to see this government as approachable and ready to listen, and I look forward to many more occasions such as this. In closing can I say, that I see myself as your voice at the Cabinet Table, and I want that voice to be as effective as we can make it. Thank you.