Rotorua Grey Power Annual General Meeting

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

I've been meeting with and speaking to quite a lot of Grey Power organisations all around the country recently.

I spoke at your National Federation's annual conference in Christchurch and have also addressed quite a number of Grey Power branch meetings around the country in the last few weeks.

It has been a great way to stay in touch with the issues that are affecting different parts of the country.

I recently had the opportunity to read the Grey Power Rotorua's May newsletter, and I must say it is pleasing to see the support Grey Power has given to this new coalition Government.

Yes, we have delivered on many of our commitments and promises that we made before the election. And it is good to see your vote of confidence.

In March, at your Federation's annual conference, the outgoing President said the signs were good and pointed to a return to political integrity. He said he 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 ¡V 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. More of that will become apparent on Budget Day, which is only two weeks away.

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, which meant superannuitants received the increase they were expecting to receive.

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 why should we be congratulated for keeping our promises? It should be expected that we do.

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 „o what was essentially a 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 this Government 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 ¡V 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 ¡V if you want to be an independent MP then stand as one. If you want to join another Party, then stand for it. If you want to form your own Party, then stand under its banner. 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 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, but rather to promote an inter-sectoral approach to the range of issues that affect older New Zealander's ability to participate.

That range of issues stretches from Superannuation, through Housing, Health, Disability Support, Adult Education, Transport, Community Involvement, Security, Residential Care, Carer Support, Home Help ¡K 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 continued participation in the community and independence.

Society needs to realise that just because people have retired from work, that it does not mean they have retired from life. It is that ability to participate in our communities, that sense of belonging, that makes us part of our communities.

Positive attitudes are important in creating a society that both encourages older people to contribute to family and to the community they're living in, and also one in which that contribution is recognised and appreciated.

One concept that is gaining much more recognition here as well as overseas is that of the "third age". This refers to the stage in life when people leave the paid workforce, have reduced family responsibilities and have time and energy to contribute to the community in a variety of ways.

The City Council in Christchurch, where I have my electorate, has taken the lead in promoting consideration of Third Age issues by appointing a Third Age Co-ordinator. And Christchurch will host in September a seminar on third age issues and I believe this will have relevance to every community in New Zealand. And maybe other councils will follow their lead.

SUPERANNUATION

I have already mentioned what we have done so far about superannuation. I would like to add this. And I am not speaking on behalf of the coalition Government, but as an advocate for Labour Party policy that I believe as Minister for Senior Citizens is in the best interests of future generations of senior citizens.

The Labour Party strongly supports the ringfencing of a superannuation fund, managed at arms length from Government, supervised by guardians. I know most New Zealanders do not want superannuation to continue being a political football and it is time to put up a long-term, sustainable option.

We would like to have this scheme entrenched, but that requires 75% of all MPs to support it. But this is still a minority coalition Government and the work is still going into building the numbers needed to change the law, let alone 75% to entrench it.

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

One issue I constantly get asked about is health.

Focussing on patients, not profit and cutting waiting times for surgery was one of Helen Clark's seven commitments. Health Minister Annette King last month announced an extra $21 million would be put into elective surgery. This will help reduce waiting times for surgery.

I have always thought it's not the number of people on the list that matters, but how long you actually have to wait. And as advocate for older New Zealanders, I ask what is the cost of waiting?

Hip replacements are a perfect example of this. I remember a woman who came to address a health select committee a few years ago. She needed a hip replacement. Before she got one, she couldn't do a large number of things. Shopping, cleaning, she found it difficult to drive. She couldn't garden. And she needed ongoing pain relief.

When she finally did get her hip replacement, she got her life back and all of her need for extra support stopped. So in financial terms and in human terms waiting times must be reduced.

RESIDENTIAL CARE SUBSIDY

This Government has signalled its intention to introduce legislation to remove the asset test on the Residential Care Subsidy. But what I cannot tell you is when.

I'm being honest with you. We cannot set the timeframe until we can afford it.

Only 5% of older New Zealanders end up in residential care. It ends up costing around 50% of the Disability Support Services budget. Removing the asset test increases the cost even further. I will continue to advocate its removal, and this Government is committed to doing it. But I do agree it has to be delivered at a time that it can be afforded.

HEALTH STRATEGY

But I would like to add that I am working with other Ministers in developing a New Zealand Health Strategy that will focus on improving the health of all New Zealanders.

Last Friday, Ruth Dyson, who's the Minister Responsible for Disability Issues, and I launched a National Health Committee Report called Health Care for Older People. The committee had spent the last five years assessing the health sector to see how well it delivered health services to older people.

Not only did the report reinforce many of the things that I have been saying in terms of the need to develop a context for policy development for older New Zealanders, it also confirms the damage that has been caused by the fragmentation of health services that has occurred over the last decade.

In my view, the previous Government's decision to include older persons' health within the Disability Support Services framework was a fundamental flaw.

I will work to ensure that the policy vacuum that occurred under the last Government does not exist in the future.

CRIME

As I said earlier, I had the opportunity to read your May newsletter, and I noticed a short item indicating that crime has increased 70% in the last decade.

The concerns about safety and security, I believe, are greater for our older citizens. We've seen far too many stories about homes being burgled and elderly people being assaulted and injured. Of course, the truth is that the chances of this actually happening to you are very small indeed. But it doesn¡¦t stop people feeling nervous.

The Labour party also made it one of the seven commitments „o to crack down on burglary. I know George Hawkins, the Minister of Police, is putting more resources into seeing that this commitment is given the full priority that it deserves. He's doing this by supporting police officers in doing their job, increasing community involvement and using police resources to the best effect.

That does not mean spending $120 million on a computer system that doesn't work. That means ensuring the police officer on the beat gets the resources and support to do the job properly.

HOUSING

I know Grey Power branches all over the country have had concerns about housing.

Legislation has been introduced into the house that will ensure that low-income families in State house rentals pay no more than 25% of their income on rent. Another commitment card item on its way.

GENERAL

In closing, I mention that 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 approach.

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.