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Older people are more vulnerable in heatwaves. Here’s why – and how to stay safe

With the mercury rising across many parts of the country, older people are particularly vulnerable as heat is not only uncomfortable, but potentially dangerous.


For vulnerable people, particularly the elderly, heat is not only uncomfortable but dangerous. High temperatures can worsen existing health problems and in some cases even prove fatal.

So as the mercury climbs, it’s important to understand why some people are more at risk.

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8 Jan

Are New Zealanders getting lonelier?

From the Spinoff: The ‘loneliness epidemic’ is apparently spreading around the world, but what does it look like here in New Zealand? Rachel Judkins reports.

Summer read – originally published February 12 2025.

It’s a beautiful summer evening in Cornwall Park, with families scattered on the grass and a live band playing a backing track to their laughter. Sprawled on a picnic blanket with her young son, 46-year-old Florence* is trying to soak up the good vibes, but she can’t help feeling a heaviness. She loves doing these fun activities with her boy, but raising him alone is hard work and she craves adult company and longs to be part of a family unit again. Despite being surrounded by people, Florence is feeling lonely. 

Ironically, she isn’t alone in her loneliness. 

In 2023, a survey by global analytics firm Gallup revealed that 1 in 5 people worldwide said they felt lonely “a lot” during the previous day. In this study, Aotearoa was doing better than our allies Canada, US and the UK; on par with our neighbours Australia; but feeling lonelier than countries like Japan, Finland and Kazakhstan. But no matter where you go on this planet, loneliness is an issue.

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8 Jan

SummerSeries: The Growing Challenge of Dementia — A Māori Lens on a National Health Issue

This from Waatea News.com: 

Dementia is no longer a distant concern for future generations – it is here, growing, and already affecting whānau across Aotearoa. Known in te reo Māori as mate wareware, this condition involves progressive decline in memory and cognition. It affects not just the person living with it, but their whanau, community, and cultural wellbeing.

In New Zealand, recent research shows that dementia is under-recognised, with up to half of those who live with memory problems unaware they have the condition.

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17 Dec '25

Transport subsidies for elderly and disabled people reduced

The government is cutting transport subsidies for elderly and disabled people for elderly and disabled people from 75 percent to 65 percent.

The Total Mobility scheme provides discounted taxis and public transport fares for those with long-term impairments.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Disability Minister Louise Upston said when the previous Labour government boosted the scheme from a 50 percent subsidy in 2022, it did not account for increased demand.

The number of registered users had increased from 108,000 to 120,000 between 2022 and 2024/25, and the number of trips increased from 1.8 million in 2018 to 3 million in 2024/25.

Bishop said the increased demand now meant the scheme was close to exceeding the funding provided by $236m sometime over the five years to 2030.

"The subsidy is split between the government and public transport authorities - local councils and the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) - and provides an important service for the people who use the scheme," he said.

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10 Dec '25

No, pensioners aren't getting a Christmas bonus

Superannuitants are being warned not to fall for a scam that claims they're in for a pre-Christmas bonus.

A hoax circulating online claims that people who are on NZ Super are to receive a "one-off December bonus" a few weeks before Christmas.

The payment is alleged to be $350 for single people and $560 for couples, as well as an extra $50 for people in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and $40 for people with disabilities.

The websites seem to be intended to funnel advertising and possibly collect identity details.

The Ministry of Social Development confirmed that the offer was not real.

"We are aware of fake information being targeted at MSD clients and older people about December bonuses, benefit increases, or changes to NZ Super," group general manager of client service delivery Graham Allpress said.

"We want to assure people these claims are not true. If you want up-to-date information on your benefit or NZ Super, check the Work and Income website or MyMSD.

"These posts and websites are created by dishonest actors for dishonest reasons, and are always best avoided."

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9 Dec '25

Japan is facing a dementia crisis – can technology help?

This from BBC news: 

Last year, more than 18,000 older people living with dementia left their homes and went missing in Japan. Almost 500 were later found dead.

Police say such cases have doubled since 2012.

Elderly people aged 65 and over now make up nearly 30% of Japan's population - the second-highest proportion in the world after Monaco, according to the World Bank.

The crisis is further compounded by a shrinking workforce and tight limits on foreign workers coming in to provide care.

Japan's government has identified dementia as one of its most urgent policy challenges, with the Health Ministry estimating that dementia-related health and social care costs will reach 14 trillion yen ($90bn; £67bn) by 2030 - up from nine trillion yen in 2025.

In its most recent strategy, the government has signalled a stronger pivot toward technology to ease the pressure.

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5 Dec '25

'Just come and be in it' - 87-year-old community theatre director

June Renwick from Auckland's Selwyn Community Arts Theatre still gets "really excited" about seeing people discover their hidden performance talents.

Culture 10128 September 20254 min readCaption:June Renwick (left) with cast members of Selwyn Community Arts Theatre's 2024 production of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.Photo credit:Supplied

When she retired from teaching at Auckland's Selwyn College, June Renwick was determined to "get a community theatre happening". Now she directs and produces shows at the Selwyn Community Arts Theatre (SCAT).

Not only is community theatre a lot of fun, it also encourages diverse connections, Renwick says, not just in nationality, but in age.

"People make lasting friendships, like we're all going for a curry night soon up to Orewa", she tells Culture 101.

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5 Dec '25

Govt’s retirement village reforms risk two-tier system, residents say

The Government’s promise of fairer rules for retirement villages could backfire if reforms only apply to future contracts and not to those who’ve fought so hard to secure them, residents warn.

Their comments follow today’s announcement by Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka and Seniors Minister Casey Costello regarding the Retirement Villages Act reform.

Key improvements included a process for former residents to apply for early access to funds in situations of specific need; interest must be paid after six months if a unit remains unlicensed or unsold; repayment of funds no later than 12 months after a unit is vacated, and weekly fees and deductions stopping immediately when a resident vacates.

A Northland retirement village resident said after a long career in community advocacy, the last thing she expected when moving into her unit about five years ago was more battling.

But issues in her village – especially an ongoing wait for a promised specialist care facility – changed that.

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3 Dec '25

The cost of being: A retired ‘old lady’ learning to live for the moment

As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a pensioner with a lifetime of ‘squirrel habits’ explains where they spend and how they save.

Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.

Gender: Old lady.

Age: 67.

Ethnicity: Pākehā.

Role: Retired, domestic husband wrangler.

Salary/income/assets: Pension, small investment return.


My living location is: Suburban.

Rent/mortgage per week: Mortgage repaid a few years ago.

Student loan or other debt payments per week: None.

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28 Nov '25

10-year-old business owner goes viral for free lawn mowing services to kaumātua

From Te Ao Maori News: 

A 10 year-old living in Raahui Pookeka that has gone viral for giving free lawn mowing services to kaumaatua in Huntly.

Harry Muru-Kete is the business owner of his lawn mowing service called, “Second 2 None”.

In an Instagram post, hundreds of people praised Muru-Kete for his free service to kaumātua within his community. Muru-Kete said within the next 24-hours his social media following skyrocketed, all for kaumaatua who are the most valued treasure in their community.

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27 Nov '25

Scientists discover four major turning points for human brain

From RNZ: The five brain phases were split into: childhood brain, adolescent brain, adult brain, early ageing brain and late ageing brain. 

Scientists have discovered the human brain goes through five different phases of life, with key turning points at four different ages.

These "major turning points" occur around the ages of 9, 32, 66 and 83, a media release from the University of Cambridge said.

The neuroscientists from Cambridge University found the brain structure changes over the course of a human life, as the brain rewires to "support different ways of thinking while we grow, mature, and ultimately decline".

The study that was led by the university's MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit compared brains of more than 3800 people aged between 0 and 90.

According to scientist and research lead Dr Alexa Mousley, it is the first study to "identify major phases of brain wiring across a human lifespan".

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25 Nov '25

ANZ warns of social media investment scams using its branding, and targeting older Kiwis

ANZ is warning New Zealanders to remain on high alert after a new wave of investment scams emerged, targeting users on social media with fake ads that misuse the bank's branding.

The latest scam, identified this week, involves an advertisement promoting a stock market education programme featuring the ANZ's logo. The ad directed people to join group chats for investment advice — a tactic ANZ says is designed to pressure individuals into fraudulent schemes.

"The ads are the latest in a long line of investment scams. Sadly, they won’t be the last," said Alan Thomsen, Head of Customer Protection at ANZ.

ANZ has reported the ads to the platform and is monitoring for similar content alongside the financial markets authority. The bank emphasised it does not offer stock trading education programmes and that official posts would only come from its verified account.

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24 Nov '25

As people live longer and healthier, nurse training needs to respond to avoid ageist attitudes

From the Hearald: Opinion by Samantha Heath
THE FACTS

• Life expectancy has significantly increased, leading to more years with chronic conditions and disabilities.
• Ageism in healthcare results in missed diagnoses and under-treatment of older adults.

Life expectancy in New Zealand has increased dramatically over the past five decades. In 1970, men lived on average to 68. Today, it’s over 80.

These gains reflect major advances in public health and medical technology. But living longer can mean more years with multiple chronic conditions and disabilities, because age is a significant risk factor for most disease.

This demographic shift will reshape healthcare. Future health professionals will need to be aware of the increasingly complex social, technological and ethical challenges of caring for older people.

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17 Nov '25

How this man found himself homeless at 80

Stuff reports: As the number of people retiring owning their own home plummets, and many seniors are being priced out of retirement villages, more and more people over 65 are being left with nowhere to live. Phoebe Utteridge reports.

When Nick Carswell found out his rural Canterbury rental was going to be deemed unfit for tenancy in 2023, it was “a moment of sheer horror”.

“I thought I had nowhere to go,” he said.

The then-80-year-old had lived in a cottage on Miners Rd in Yaldhurst for 16 years. . Conditions in the house deteriorated impacting his health to the point he ended up in hospital.

His family attempted to restore the property so Carswell could continue to live in the countryside, but the property was declared unfit for tenancy.

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17 Nov '25

Age Concern Whanganui seeks donations to Secret Santa gift initiative

Age Concern Whanganui is on a mission to give older people gifts this Christmas.

It is the seventh year the organisation has run its Secret Santa programme which aims to ease the loneliness of older Whanganui residents over the holidays.

Age Concern is asking for gift items or monetary donations to be dropped off at its office at 164 St Hill St – or a volunteer can arrange to collect donations if they are unable to be dropped off – until December 4.

“We were aware that the Christmas time can be very hard for older people in our community and so we collect gifts,” Age Concern Whanganui manager Michelle Malcolm said.

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7 Nov '25

Beneficiaries, pensioners don't have enough money for basics - report

In news from RNZ: Households living on JobSeeker Support or NZ Super alone have to spend more each week than they have coming in to cover the basics, on average, a new report says.

Kore Hiakai, the Zero Hunger Collective, has issued its latest annual report - Ka Makona - which notes 27 percent of children are living in food-insecure households.

This year, older people have been added to the household scenarios, modelling weekly income and basic housing, food, transport and utilities expenses for an older person living alone and an older couple.

Single adults, sole parents with two children and two-parent households with two children were also considered.

Housing costs are based on rents for a single adult living in a shared flat, an older person in a one-room unit and an older couple in a two-bedroom house. Family households are based on three-bedroom rentals.

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6 Nov '25

NZ’s Fastest Growing Opportunity: New Pledges Show Ways To Boost The Wellbeing, Productivity And Resilience

Five priorities for investment in longer, better, more sustainable lives

Urgent cross-sector action to support older New Zealanders to live longer, healthier and more connected lives has been called for by the Aotearoa New Zealand National Forum for the Decade of Healthy Ageing He Oranga Kaumātua, He Oranga Tangata at Parliament this morning.

Policy and decision-makers are being urged to back five transformative, yet cost-effective pledges that will support a New Zealand where everyone can thrive and age well in communities, thereby lifting wellbeing, boosting productivity and building national resilience.

The pledges are evidence-based, drawing on research by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER), and offer practical solutions to significant issues that are currently undermining the potential and long term opportunities arising from an ageing population: ageism, unsuitable and unaffordable housing, a lack of “whole-of-life” planning, loneliness and social isolation, and poor health outcomes.

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29 Oct '25

Being awarded 'little old lady status'

Waikato times piece: 

Denise Irvine is a Hamilton freelance journalist and food writer, and a regular Waikato Times contributor.

OPINION: I had a medical appointment recently with a nurse who used relentlessly first-person plural pronouns as she stepped me through a list of questions:

“Do we know our height? What is our date of birth? Are we on any medications? Do we have any existing medical conditions? Who is our next of kin? I’ll just check our weight, can we please pop onto the scales.” And so on.

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29 Oct '25

Ministerial advisory group to look at changes to aged care funding model

This from RNZ: Changes to the aged care funding model are on the cards, with a ministerial advisory group being established to make recommendations to a system the government says is out of date.

The government currently spends $2.5 billion a year on aged care, which is provided privately.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said there were "major political considerations" attached to any changes, and so an independent group was needed to make recommendations, as well as long-term thinking and a bipartisan approach.

She said the announcement was about better health outcomes for the 900,000 New Zealanders who were over 65, and a better, fit-for-purpose aged care system.

The number of New Zealanders aged 65 or older is expected to increase to 1.3 million by 2040.

"We know that New Zealand has very good aged care, provided by dedicated people. However, the way that these services are funded is outdated and does not recognise the connection between the various parts of the system or the future investment required," said Costello, who is also Minister for Seniors.

"Essentially, our aged care model is out of date and piecemeal change isn't the solution."

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23 Oct '25

Still on the clock: No stepping off the treadmill for the over 65s

Read The Post: 

Turning 65 used to mean both a gold watch and a portal to the euphemistically-monikered “golden years” of a comfortable retirement.

Yet as life expectancy grows and living costs soar the idea of stepping off the working treadmill in your mid 60s has become increasingly unrealistic for many.

At 24% we have one of the highest rates of people aged over 65 who are still working, compared with other countries such as Australia (12%) and the UK (10%).

According to StatsNZ there are almost 200,000 working New Zealanders aged 65 or older. Almost 90,000 are aged over 70.

Certainly there’s any number of politicians, chief executives and property developers still on the tools into their 60s and 70s - and 2023 census data shows 42,000 people earning over $100,000 while collecting superannuation.

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