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.
Older Southlanders could soon be jetting off to Europe, or swimming with dolphins without leaving home, thanks to virtual reality. For the past two months, Age Concern Southland has been running VR headset trials with their volunteers. Its manager Janette Turner spoke to John Campbell.
From Newsroom: I turn 84 today. Maybe that’s why I find myself thinking of the decision made by Maurice Gee, who published
no adult fiction for his last 16 years. He stopped, as deliberately and absolutely as that.
I also think of Harry Orsman, lexicographer, authority on English as spoken in New Zild, and one of my university tutors at what was then
Victoria University of Wellington. Harry was talking to us one afternoon about Chaucer’s language and sources. He mentioned his own
tutor, from the late 1940s it would have been. I can’t recall the guy’s name. But I do remember Harry pausing, smiling affectionately, and
saying ”There’s not much left of him now, except a pair of bright blue eyes. But he’s still writing.” I knew instantly that I wouldn’t –
couldn’t – forget that tribute.
So there you are. One author who stopped; one who couldn’t. Pause here, to contemplate which category each of us may slip into. I know
authors who stopped because they couldn’t face another rejection; others whose health or other outside-world circumstances meant they
couldn’t keep going. I sympathise with them all.
From the New Zealand Herald: A Rotorua iwi has launched a “world-first” aged care model designed to support kaumātua at
home for as long as possible.
Ngāti Whakaue unveiled the papakāinga model of care “designed by iwi, for iwi” at Te Puia in Rotorua on Friday.
About 160 people attended the launch, including Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, Iwi Māori Partnership Boards and Ngāti Whakaue
representatives.
Ngāti Whakaue has been working with Te Rau Ora – the kaupapa Māori health workforce development organisation for Aotearoa – to address who
will care for the iwi’s ageing population, and where.
Endless apps, pop-ups, passwords, updates, downloads, and deepfakes -
the relentless march of the digital age is enough to make anyone's head spin.
For some older New Zealanders, it's leading to a loss of social connection and even limiting their access to essential services.
New research out of the University of Auckland has found that "technostress" is causing many older people to feel shut out by the digital
world.
But not for 92-year-old Peter Singh and his top-of-the-line iPhone 17.
"I do my emails, I do my banking," he said. "I can find my way in the car."
A keen photographer, he's also got every app you can think of - he's even on TikTok.
He said he knew nothing of computers when he first joined the Eden-Roskill branch of SeniorNet, a non-profit society helping people over 50
to learn or enhance their technology skills.
As people around the world seek to live longer, healthier lives, the global longevity and wellness market has topped US$2.5 trillion. Yet
research shows that one of the best things we can do to remain fitter and healthier for longer isn’t to drop dollars on expensive longevity
treatments or supplements; it’s to exercise.
Research shows that those who exercise regularly are less likely to succumb to premature death, and reduce their risk of developing
conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and mental health disorders.
The average Kiwi now has $77,900 in their KiwiSaver account by the time they reach 65 – a figure that still leaves us $469,100 shy of our
counterparts in Australia.
According to the latest report from the Retirement Commission, our savings by retirement age are up more than $8,000 than they were a year
ago.
Balances are growing across
every demographic group,
with 90% of Kiwis earning $50,000 or more (the annual minimum wage) now contributing to KiwiSaver.
The average KiwiSaver balance across every age group now sits at $41,286, up from $37,079 a year earlier.
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.
A Digital Literacy Programme in east Auckland has taken off with “remarkable momentum”, transforming curiosity into confidence for a growing
group of older learners.
The final session of the course run by Age Concern Auckland is being staged today, March 27, from 1.30pm to 3pm at Botany Library.
Age Concern Auckland’s social connections co-ordinator, Shalini Gulani, says: “What began with just 13 participants quickly expanded to 20
within a week, as word spread about the programme’s supportive and energising environment.
“Over the course of six weeks, participants were guided through the fundamentals of smartphone use.
“Sessions covered essential skills such as adjusting settings, connecting to wi-fi, using hotspots and Bluetooth, making calls, and sending
messages.
Critics say the government's cost-of-fuel relief package won't help some of the most vulnerable New Zealanders. Yesterday, the government announced almost 150 thousand New Zealand families would receive up to $50 dollars a week through the in-work tax credit to help with soaring petrol prices. Age Concern Auckland CEO Kevin Lamb.
One news: Healthy ageing is about staying independent, maintaining mobility and continuing to enjoy everyday activities as you get older. For many people, what matters most is being able to get out of a chair without help, carry shopping home, climb the stairs and recover quickly after illness.By Christopher Hurst for The ConversationOne of the most important and well-established factors in healthy ageing is muscle strength. Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, leads to reduced physical function and mobility.Over time, muscles become smaller and weaker. This matters because muscle does more than move our limbs: it stabilises joints, supports balance and acts as a reserve during illness or injury.As muscle strength declines, the risk of falls and fractures increases, particularly in later life. Estimates suggest that sarcopenia affects a substantial proportion of older adults, particularly those over the age of 70.
This from One News: The Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa currently has no rest home, leaving senior residents needing
hospital-level or specialist care with no option but to leave the district – a situation local leaders are calling a crisis.
Age Concern estimates around 100 seniors in the wider Wairoa District qualify for residential care.
The town previously had a rest home operated by Heritage Lifecare, but it closed following damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023.
Residents were relocated, and the facility has not reopened.
The closure has left families trying to manage increasingly complex care needs at home.
Tricia Cotton is caring for her 88-year-old father, Koroua, who lives with dementia, while also working full-time.
In an endless scroll of filtered, gravity-defying faces, New Zealand actor and TV presenter Rebecca Gibney has fought back in an Instagram
post.
“Scrolling thru social media all I see is bad news, AI rubbish or perfect photoshopped lives. Then I came to images of@rachelwardofficial and
I breathed a sigh of relief,” the 61-year-old wrote yesterday morning.
“I thought I might add my unfiltered sun damaged face and my funny old cowl lick fringe and fine over processed hair to the mix.”
This from the Hearald: Spending time with a difficult person can impact your mood in the moment. But over time, these
challenging social interactions might also have a detrimental effect on your physical health, possibly making you age faster, new research
suggests.
The study, which was funded by the National Institute on Ageing and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at
the health impacts of “hasslers” – people the researchers defined as those “who create problems or make life more difficult”.
While positive relationships have long been linked to healthier, longer lives, hasslers seem to have the opposite effect, increasing chronic
stress and elevating epigenetic biomarkers associated with ageing.
SuperGold Card holders are finding it difficult to cash-in on weekly supermarket discounts with a mish-mash of locations, leaving some
regions missing out entirely with patchy coverage in others.
Age Concern chief executive Kevin Lamb called it an example of "grey washing".
For example, the SuperGold Card was accepted at grocery stores in most central business districts, but not in Gisborne, Marlborough Nelson,
Tasman, West Coast districts nor the densely populated Auckland CBD, with a fast-growing resident senior population of more than 2000
people.
"It is portraying themselves as supporting older people, but doing what I would call the bare minimum in order to achieve that," Lamb said.
"If you're going to say that SuperGold Card gets a discount in our stores, why wouldn't you do that for every store? Not just cherry pick a
handful of stores around the country and have such a lack of consistency about where those stores are located."
Scoop World brings this story: This is indeed a historic first when governments come together to draft a legally binding possible treaty to protect the human rights of older persons. The first ever historic Inter Governmental Working Group (IGWG) meeting to protect the rights of older persons was held recently. IGWG was created by the UN Human Rights Council in April 2025 and given the mandate to draft a legally binding UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
Interest.co.nz posted this story: Labour leader Chris Hipkins says there’s big questions for us as a country about how we fund superannuation in
the long-term, but raising the age
of eligibility isn’t
one of those questions.
His comment comes after a panel discussion at the New Zealand Economics Forum in Hamilton last week, where the panel spoke about whether the
system could keep up, the age of retirement, life expectancy, and potential tweaks and their impacts on the economy and future generations.
Facilitator and former politician Steven Joyce, ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner, Milford Asset Management chief executive Blair Turnbull,
Barrister and former politician David Parker, and Aged Care Association chief executive and former politician Tracey Martin made up the panel.
Rotorua truckdriver Warwick Pryce could only afford to retire recently - at the grand age of 84 - and that was only possible after a charity
came to his rescue.
“My rent is now half what it was, so I was able to give up work. I was sick of being bounced around on a truck every morning.
Pryce is a mechanic, but has spent the last few years working as a truck driver, getting up before sunrise to transport fertiliser from
Rotorua to Kawerau and back, every day.
He’d carried on working because he “couldn’t afford not to”.
From the Spinoff: Older people are arriving at hospital emergency departments in greater numbers than ever before, compounding the problems
of long wait times and poor health outcomes for those who are frail. Is there a better way? Yes, say two New Zealand hospitals. Is the
government listening?
At Waikato Hospital’s emergency department on a Tuesday afternoon, a woman is curled in a foetal position across two stiff-backed hospital
chairs designed to be durable and easy to clean, but that are uncomfortable if you are in pain. She moans quietly, then louder, holding her
stomach as the spasm peaks. She looks like a woman in labour but is far too old to be giving birth. And this is not a delivery suite.
A man in flannelette pyjamas and a bathrobe sits hunched over in a wheelchair. The young woman with him, who may be his granddaughter,
offers him a paper cup of water. She tries to bring the flaps of his pyjama pants together to cover his genitals. He doesn’t seem aware of the exposure.
This story by RNZ: Compared to being inactive, aerobic exercise has an especially powerful impact on the symptoms of depression.
Neil Munro, James Dimmock and Klaire Somoray for
Depression and anxiety affect millions of people worldwide.
While treatments such as medication and psychotherapy (sometimes
called talk therapy) can be very effective, they're not always an option. Barriers include cost, stigma, long waiting lists for appointments, and potential drug side effects.
Shared from Stuff: A pensioner living in rented accommodation in a rural location just south of Auckland told Stuff she
is “surviving, not living”.
Paula*, 68, has been retired for three years. She relies entirely on her pension and an accommodation supplement to pay the bills.
Over those three years, keeping up with the cost
of living has
become noticeably harder, she says.
While New Zealand super rates do keep pace with inflation, any increase to Paula’s pension is counted as extra income by Work and Income.
That means every adjustment results in a decrease to her accommodation supplement, she says, so she doesn’t end up with any extra money.
Since Paula retired, inflation has increased by more than 10%. So, in essence, she’s taken a 10% pay cut over that time.
“I feel like [the Government] is giving with one hand and taking away with the other,” she said.
From RNZ: When you're a kid, the wait between Christmases or birthdays feels like an eternity. Fast forward a few decades, though, and it
seems like barely any time has passed between one year to the next.
The feeling that time speeds up as we age is a thing, says Hinze Hogendoorn, a professor in visual time perception at the Queensland
University of Technology.
"When you're young, everything is new and exciting. First day of school, first car, first relationship, first job. There are lots of
memorable firsts."
When you're young, before routine sets in, there are a lot of "memorable firsts", says Professor Hinze Hogendoorn.
NZ Post is removing services from 142 partner stores this year.
It follows a long line of postal groups around the world scaling back as we enter a new era dominated by tech.
Czech Post closed 300 post office branches, the Greek postal service shut more than 200 last year, UK networks have gone through rolling
waves of reductions, and Denmark has ended traditional letter delivery entirely – an end to a 400-year-old service.
Of the 142 stores closing, 29 are in Auckland and 22 are in Christchurch.
“The remaining network of 567 stores will still be significantly larger than any New Zealand supermarket or bank branch network,” NZ Post
general manager consumer Sarah Sandoval said.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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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