At Age Concern Auckland, we curate relevant articles, updates, and stories on topics like elder wellbeing, healthcare, housing, community
services, and policy changes. Check back regularly for fresh content that matters to seniors, their whānau, and caregivers.
Explainer - New Zealand celebrates King Charles' birthday with a public holiday Monday - even though his birthday isn't until
November.
Here's what you need to know about what will be open and closed, your employment rights if you are working and why we celebrate the monarch
every June, regardless of when their birthday is.
New Zealand’s seniors will soon be able to use their SuperGold cards as an official form of identification, making it easier for them to access essential services. “Budget 2026 is funding the modernisation of the SuperGold Card to give users the free option to upgrade to a version which they can use as an accepted form of primary identification,” Seniors Minister Casey Costello announced today. “More than 900,000 New Zealanders are aged 65 and over and many do not have legal ID such as a driver licence or passport, which can limit their ability to access things like banking and legal services.” The upgraded card will include a photograph and enhanced security features, and meet standards required by banks and other service providers. It will be available in both physical and digital versions.
Dame Jools Topp has died after living with breast cancer. As one half of the Topp Twins with her sister Lynda, Jools brought joy to
generations of New Zealanders.
One of the country's most loved entertainers, Dame Jools Topp, has died at the age of 68.
She had breast cancer, a disease that she was first diagnosed with in 2006 before it returned in 2021.
Jools died at home on Saturday with her twin sister Lynda, brother Bruce, close friends and "all her fur-babies by her side", a statement
from the family confirmed on Monday. A celebration honouring Jools’ life will be announced shortly.
As the cost of living climbs and Trump's war on Iran drives fuel costs sky-high, how are Kiwis coping? What are they doing
without? How are they saving money? An RNZ series examines the ways it's impacting different groups.
The increasing cost of living is hurting most, but those on fixed incomes have even less room to move with some forced to forego coffee and
meat.
Petrol and oil prices have crept
exponentially higher after the war in Iran,
while statistics show pharmaceuticals and electricity also keep putting pressure on the wallet.
Pensioners were just one group on fixed incomes struggling to make ends meet.
As a single pensioner living alone - you'd get $555.15 a week.
It's slightly less if that person was living in shared accommodation.
Whereas a couple who were both eligible get $427.04 each a week.
So when bills, insurance, petrol and other expenses add up, something has got to give.
An Auckland University researcher says raising the superannuation age will increase inequality, especially for Maori and Pasifika. The Director of Auckland University's Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research, Professor Ngaire Kerse, who also works as a GP spoke to John Campbell.
Age Concern Auckland said it's seeing a rise in financially motivated elder abuse, due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Chief executive Kevin Lamb said referrals to the organisation involving elder abuse had risen by 20-30 percent over the past year, with a
growing proportion linked to money troubles within families.
He said the combination of financial stress and elder abuse was creating an extra burden for vulnerable seniors, particularly as living
costs continued to rise.
''We are hearing from older people who are literally panicking... 'Do I turn the heating on, or do I go and buy myself proper decent food
for today?'
"Older people are facing a double whammy. They're really seeing this struggle in terms of financial hardship on themselves, but also being
more vulnerable to those who would take advantage of them."
Lamb said the problem was driven by financial hardship, with some families struggling to make ends meet and older relatives becoming a
source of financial support.
Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 100th birthday today, with events in New Zealand and in many other countries marking the achievements
of the world's most famous naturalist.
Sir David has shown hundreds of millions of people some of the world's rarest creatures and inspired generations through his unique
broadcasts about planet Earth.
“I will not see how that story ends but, after a lifetime of exploring our planet, I remain convinced that the more people enjoy and
understand the natural world, the greater our hope of saving both it and ourselves becomes," he wrote around the release of his 2025 film Ocean with David Attenborough.
Sir David has released more than 100 documentaries, according to Penguin Books Australia, and continues to produce television series.
Schools, universities, zoos, museums, environment groups, the BBC – where he began his broadcasting career – libraries and New Zealand's Department of Conservation are among the organisations paying tribute to the legendary broadcaster.
To view Age concern Aucklands digital workshops check out our whats available on our website.
Taupō residents can build their digital confidence through a series of free digital workshops running every Thursday throughout May at Taupō
Library.
The first session, Online Safety in the Digital World, takes place on Thursday 7 May at 10am and focuses on online scams and simple ways to
protect yourself online.
The workshops are a collaboration between Taupō Library, Age Concern Taupō and Central Plateau REAP, responding to growing demand for
digital safety support in the community.
“We have Tech Assist every Friday for an hour in the library, and the majority of customers who come in for assistance are older,” says
Taupō Library team lead operations Tu Biddle.
“While most of their queries are about how to do something on a phone or computer, we are seeing more devices having issues due to updates
not being installed, malware from unsecure websites, and free app downloads.”
The Front Page podcast host:
NZ HeraldAcademics are urging politicians to stop treating demography as background noise and start treating it as core national planning
requiring cross-party collaboration.
A new report suggests New Zealand’s rapidly changing demographic make-up has reached a critical point.
Within decades, a quarter of all New Zealanders could be 65 or older – a situation unheard of in our history.
In the 1960s, there were seven people aged 15-64 (those who pay the most tax) for every person over-65. In 2025, it was four to one, and in
2065, it is forecast to be two to one.
At the same time, migration patterns are shifting, cities like Auckland are absorbing most growth, and regional decline is accelerating.
The Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures report argues these trends can no longer be managed as separate issues – we need a national
population strategy to link housing, health, infrastructure, and economic policy.
Sir Peter Gluckman and emeritus professor Paul Spoonley co-authored the new
report titled People,
Place and Prosperity: The Case for a Population Strategy.
“New Zealand now faces a pivotal decision regarding our demographic trajectory,” the report, released today by the Koi Tū Centre for
Informed Futures, said.
On April 21, 2026, King Charles III recorded an address from the Library of Balmoral Castle to mark what would have been Queen Elizabeth
II's 100th birthday, commemorating the Queen’s life, legacy and record 70-year reign, which ended when she died on September 8, 2022,
aged 96, from “old age”.
His Majesty also used the message to “renew his vow of service”, following a challenging start to his reign, including a cancer battle,
estrangement from his 41-year-old son, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and dealing with his 66-year-old disgraced brother Andrew
Mountbatten-Windsor as more details emerge about his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – of which Mountbatten-Windsor
has always denied any wrongdoing.
A royal insider told the Mirror: “The start to the King’s reign has not been without its obvious troubles, but there has been much to
celebrate as well.
“He has been immensely positive in the face of adversity, continuing his cancer treatment while maintaining an incredible work rate.
Pensioners are turning to foodbanks to get by, as a new report says the pressure is growing on those relying on NZ Super alone.
Good Shepherd has released the report, which focused on the housing experiences of women over 65.
It follows concerns being raised that the recent adjustment to NZ Super is not enough to keep up with growing pressure, particularly in fuel
prices.
NZ Super lifted 3.1 percent this year, in line with last year's rate of inflation. But the cost of essentials has risen by more than that
overall figure, and rates and fuel are expected to continue at a faster pace this year.
Good Shepherd said many women were facing significant challenges because of having more limited income as well as the lifetime effect of low
pay, having taken time out of the workforce to look after children and other factors.
Stewart Island resident Bruce Ford reckons there's a problem with getting old on Rakiura - there's nowhere suitable to do it.
The local of 60 years is the head of the Stewart Island Seniors Cottage Trust.
The trust is trying to raise an additional $1 million to build small, warm, accessible homes for elderly residents at a site in Oban.
It has already raised $750,000, purchased a section and drawn up plans for between six and eight one-bedroom duplex units.Stewart Island
locals fight for elders
Checkpoint16 April 2026Queue
Ford said seniors were stuck in ageing, draughty homes or paying housing costs beyond their means in a bid to stay put on the island.
"If there's only one person in the house on a pension, you're on about $28,000. By the time you take off $8000 of rates and insurance and
perhaps another $4000 for electricity, you've still got to get some food and you've still got to do some maintenance on the property and it
just doesn't fit very well," he said.
"We've got one chap here that lives on a boat because he doesn't want to pay the insurance and the rates. And every day you've got to get in
your dinghy and paddle ashore. If you're in your 70s that's a bit of a handful."
Aucklanders can now use an AI-powered virtual assistant to safely report problems, including graffiti, roaming dogs and party noise.
Every day, Aucklanders help keep our communities safe, neighbourly and tidy by reporting problems to the council. This has just got easier
with the launch of a new, purpose-built virtual assistant called Ask Auckland
Council.
You can use it to report graffiti, illegal dumping, roaming dogs, missed bin collections, and party/people noise, as well as quickly
find information for reporting other problems.
More problem categories will be added over the coming months. Meanwhile, the council is working on speeding up internal processes so that
reported problems can get fixed faster.
Ask Auckland Council is an AI assistant which you can access on your smartphone, computer, tablet or any device via a
web browser. Find the link on the main Report a
problem page on
the Auckland Council website or access the assistant directly.
The Christchurch Methodist Mission is warning that homelessness among older people is at crisis levels and that the
situation is rapidly worsening.
The scale of the problem was laid bare during the launch of the charity's cross-party Doors to Dignity campaign at Parliament on Tuesday
night.
The mission said the housing situation for older New Zealanders had deteriorated significantly over the past five years.
Its executive director Jilll Hawkey said that, anecdotally, the number of older people rough
sleeping was on the rise.
"We see it from our housing outreach teams, we've in recent weeks found a couple of women in their eighties who have been homeless and two
men last week in their sevenites who are homeless," she said.
A circus skills class specifically for those aged over 60 is on offer at Christchurch City Council's new recreation and sports facility,
Parakiore.
The classes are offered by Move, a charitable trust which aims to make dance, acrobatics and circus more accessible.
Jenny Ritchie, the circus programmer for Move, says she hears a common refrain from people when they first arrive at the class.
This from Scoop: Across the world, populations are ageing at an unprecedented rate, both as a result of medical advances
and a decrease in birth rates. The forecast is alarming, estimating that by 2080, there will be more
individuals aged 65 and over than
people under the age of 18. The global population aged 65+ is projected to reach 2.2 billion by 2080, which outnumbers the number of
children.
As a result, ageing at home is becoming not just a preference, but a necessity. Fewer working-age individuals will be available to support
the growing number of seniors, which places pressure on healthcare systems and caregiving networks. How can we make life at home as a senior
safe and sustainable without sacrificing independence?
A tool for health workers to detect elder abuse has been developed by the University of Auckland.
Lead researcher Kathy Peri said the tool would aid health providers in identifying whether elderly people show signs of possibly being
abused.
In New Zealand, Elder Abuse Response Services received 2852 reports of abuse from Age Concern in 2022 to 2023, with an average of 11 new
cases reported every workday.
However, Peri, a senior lecturer in nursing, said the figures could be the tip of the iceberg because many elderly people are reluctant to
report abuse or neglect by a loved one.
This from E-Tangata: “Brain health isn’t something that we only worry about in old age. We need to be thinking about brain health all
through our lives.” — Dr Etuini Ma‘u, old age psychiatrist, dementia researcher, and senior lecturer in psychological medicine at Auckland
University. (Photo: Mark Hamilton)
With the number of over-65-year-olds in Aotearoa set to hit the million mark by 2029, many of us will already know someone with
dementia. It’s a sure bet, too, that we’ll be coming across the work of Dr Etuini Ma‘u, an old age psychiatrist, dementia researcher, and
senior lecturer in psychological medicine at the University of Auckland.
Here he is talking to Dale Husband, about why we should be thinking about our brain health now.
Scientists have been quietly building a case that what you eat in midlife shapes your brain decades later. This is what the evidence
actually shows.
The Mediterranean diet –
rich in olive oil, fish, vegetables and legumes – has long been linked to better heart health. Growing evidence suggests it may also help
support brain health as we age, with a brain-focused variation of the diet drawing increasing scientific attention.
It is called the Mind diet. The name stands for Mediterranean-Dash
Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay – though what matters more than the acronym is what it actually involves: plenty of green
vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, berries, poultry and fish, with olive oil as the main cooking fat, and limited amounts of red meat,
butter, cheese, fried food and sweets. It combines the most brain-friendly elements of two well-studied eating patterns: the traditional
Mediterranean diet and the Dash diet, which was originally developed to lower blood pressure.
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