Twelve projects across the motu have been awarded grants from the Age friendly Fund.

Projects include transport, activities to reduce loneliness, and helping communities adopt an age friendly strategy.

The Office for Seniors Age friendly Fund provides grants of up to $15,000 for projects that promote the inclusion of older people and help cities and communities prepare for their ageing populations.

The successful applicants from the 2024 funding round are:

• Safer Mid Canterbury – development of Age Friendly Ashburton strategy and action plan needs assessment.
• Te Whai Community Trust – a community-led initiative providing free transport for older people in rural Mangawhai.
• Faasinomaga ma Tupuaga (FATU) –an intergenerational project to pass on heritage knowledge in Samoan.
• The Family Centre (Lower Hutt) – designing and trialling a Pacific Elders’ Audit of Age Friendliness of general services and city environments in Hutt City and Wainuiomata.
• University of Auckland Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research (CCREATE-AGE) – Master Home Food Producers project involving older people teaching others in Auckland how to grow fruit and vegetables at home.
• Whangārei Māori Women’s Welfare League – gathering people who have dementia and live in rural Whangārei for interactive activities to learn how to better support people living with Mate Wareware (Dementia).
• Whangārei District Council – developing Age Friendly Plan for Whangārei, in line with the Te Tai Tokerau Regional Accessibility Strategy.
• Ngāti Rangatahi Whanaunga Association INC (NRWAI) – a transport research project to identify transport needs for kaumātua in the community of Taumarunui.
• Auckland Council – design, provide and evaluate three dementia-friendly film screenings to help address social isolation and loneliness of people who live with dementia.
• CNSST Foundation – a community senior ambassadors initiative to empower older Asian immigrants to develop leadership and organisational skills and reduce social isolation.
• Age Concern Horowhenua – the basket of wisdom is an intergenerational project with workshops and activities to help share skills and knowledge
• Tairāwhiti Positive Ageing Trust – a needs assessment to address the current age friendly status of the Tairāwhiti East Coast region to inform future work towards its age friendly strategy.

Age friendly Programme Lead Karen Piercy said the grants will make a difference to communities supporting older people.

“This year we saw a range of projects right across the country, helping to make communities more age friendly. By planning for the future, bringing generations together and providing opportunities for older people to share their knowledge, we can assist older people to remain connected and supported in their community for longer.”

For more information on the projects, the recipients and the Age friendly Fund go to: https://officeforseniors.govt.nz/our-work/age-friendly-communities/funding-for-age-friendly-communities/

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