Swift action must be taken in order to ensure Aotearoa New Zealand can fully appreciate and support our ageing population now and in the coming decades, a new report has found.

Te Kōrero mō ngā Kaumātua: Exploring the context of older people in Aotearoa New Zealand, created by the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS), has lived up to its original promise of an easy-to-read guide outlining the eco-system of services, legislation, research and support available for older people in this country.

However, during the report’s development it became clear that there are substantial gaps in our country’s readiness to support the coming, well-known and long-signalled growth of our cohort of older people. With Stats NZ projecting that by 2028 there will be 1 million older people in Aotearoa (20% of the population) and 1.5 million (25%) by 2050, this current deficit in readiness will only be exacerbated in coming years.

NZCCSS Kaiwhakahaere Matua Nikki Hurst says she hopes Te Kōrero mō ngā Kaumātua will now have two main impacts: as a “beginner’s guide” to support wider understanding of this cohort, and as an urgent call-to-action to those with the power to improve the lives of older people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

She said “We believe this report is the first to offer a high-level, easily understandable and accessible view into the context of older people – but also, the first resource to bring together in one place a clear identification of the breadth of issues and challenges that we will need to address to live up to our national value of care towards our older citizens.”

Drawing on the knowledge of their members working in 230 community organisations around the motu, NZCCSS believes that many of the issues relating to the provision of services to older New Zealanders can be traced back to a lack of prioritisation of older people’s needs, and that this is due to systemic ageism which undervalues and deprioritises older people.

Hurst continued, “Those with an interest in the wellbeing of our kaumātua will be unsurprised that NZCCSS are again flagging the looming crisis in relation to aged care, housing and workforce issues for this cohort. However, what this report clearly highlights is that the crisis is holistic. The gaps identified are not simply in care provision or social housing - they cover all aspects of older people's lives. The issues are systemic and long-standing, and our lack of preparedness is of major concern. With the election so imminent, we will be asking all parties exactly how their policies will address this situation.”

Te Kōrero mō ngā Kaumātua is available on the NZCCSS website at: https://nzccss.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/NZCCSS_Te-Korero-mo-nga-Kaumatua_August-2023.pdf

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