Waitakere Superannuitants' Association

  • Lianne Dalziel
Senior Citizens

Thank you for your invitation to speak this morning.

A special greeting to Frank Jackson, the president of this branch of Grey Power, and also to Don Chapman, the national vice president.

I have spoken to quite a number of Grey Power meetings recently and have found that these are a good way for me to find out about the issues and concerns that you have.

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.

When young people do not have a sense of belonging and participation, they can become alienated and troubled. Older people can become isolated and afraid.

So, building or maintaining the ability to participate, and nurturing that sense of belonging, are vital at either end of life¡¦s spectrum, which is why I am a strong supporter of the positive aging approach in my role as Minister for Senior Citizens.

Another point I also like to make to meetings like these is that I am the Minister of Immigration, but the Minister for Senior Citizens. This means I am your advocate.

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 Coalition Government to restore faith in the parliamentary process. 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.

Society needs to realise that just because people have retired from work, that it does not mean they have retired from life. Society needs to recognise the value of older New Zealanders, and older New Zealanders need to value their own capacity to contribute to the next generation. Afterall, it is that ability to participate in our communities, that sense of belonging, that makes us part of our communities.

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.

The Ministry is working on draft objectives for the Positive Ageing Strategy, and I expect the first reports to go to Cabinet in about September. The development of the work plan will be the next step, which will align all Government departments with positive ageing objectives, and act as a framework by which the strategy can be implemented.

There were two or three issues that I wanted to raise myself, and then I'll throw it over to you : Health, Superannuation and Law & Order.

Health

Focussing on patients, not profit and cutting waiting times for surgery was one of Helen Clark's seven commitments. Health Minister Annette King announced an extra $21 million would be put into elective surgery in the last financial year, and significantly more has been allocated in this year's Budget. 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.

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 at this point, but rather 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.

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. The worst thing is to have the rules change at a point when nothing can be done, as was the case after the 1990 election when the age of eligibility was increased from 60 to 65years over 10 years, rather than the 20 years proposed prior to the election.

Law and Order

Concerns about safety and security are greatest among older people who feel vulnerable because of frailty, lack of resources or isolation. As a woman, I can say that I understand very well the need to feel secure in one's home and to not feel scared when leaving home. Although it is important to bear in mind that the statistics often don't confirm the fears that we have. Media coverage of serious violent offences tends to make us feel more at risk than we actually are. However, feeling safe and secure in your own home is one of those basic necessities of life.

The coalition government is committed to reducing the crime rate in New Zealand by supporting the police to do their job, using police resources to their best effect, and increasing community involvement.

Another one of the seven commitments was to crack down on burglary and youth crime. I believe burglary 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 ¡V 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 this Government has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining frontline police numbers.

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.

I know that the dedicated Highway patrol announcement has been welcomed both within the police and in the wider community.

And while I'm on the subject of traffic, I should comment that my colleague, Mark Gosche, the Minister of Transport, has announced an independent review of the driver licence system and that this is to be completed by August 2000. One of the specific terms of reference is to consider the cost of licences and the testing regime, as they relate specifically to older New Zealanders.

Conclusion

I think I've taken up enough time this morning. Thank you for the invitation to meet. I hope that your organisation continues to see this government as approachable and ready to listen. We always welcome the opportunity that occasions like this bring; to hear directly from the grassroots.

I know there are other issues that you may have and that I would be happy to take any questions now.

Thank you.