Chapter 1 - Portfolio of the Minister for Senior Citizens
Key Messages
- The importance of the Senior Citizens portfolio will continue to increase along with the growth of New Zealands older population.
- The way in which the portfolio is viewed by older people is influenced by the ability of the Minister to reflect the needs and interests of older people in government policy and decision making forums and to explain policy changes clearly and sensitively.
- The effectiveness of the portfolio is dependent on the Minister receiving timely and comprehensive advice on a wide range of issues.
- The ability of the Office for Senior Citizens to deliver advice on a wide range of issues, to undertake work with other government agencies and community organisations, and to consult with older people and groups representing their interests, is determined by the level of Vote funding.
Introduction
The portfolio of the Minister for Senior Citizens was established in 1990. The role of the Minister is to advocate for older people at Cabinet and in other government policy forums, and to represent their views and concerns at government level.
The scope of the Senior Citizens portfolio is very broad, incorporating positive ageing; health; retirement income; housing; security; transport and other issues. Services to the Minister are provided by the Office for Senior Citizens[1], which is part of the Ministry of Social Development.
Currently there is no legislation for which the Minister for Senior Citizens is responsible. However, subject to progress and decisions made regarding the Retirement Villages Bill, which was introduced by the Minister for Senior Citizens in 2001, the Senior Citizens portfolio could include responsibility for the Retirement Villages Act.[2]
In the past year, correspondence received by the Minister related primarily to the matters of retirement income including New Zealand Superannuation and supplementary assistance, health services, the retirement villages legislation, older driver licensing and the residential care subsidy.
Correspondence indicates that these are key concerns for older people and their advocates, but most of the issues that concern the population in general are also reflected in submissions and letters received by the Minister.
As part of the portfolio responsibilities, the Minister regularly receives requests to meet with a range of organisations representing the interests of older people.
As noted, while older peoples concerns are often about issues that are specifically age related, the matters raised with the Minister cover the range of issues of interest to the general population.
The Minister also receives invitations to address meetings and conferences that cover the matters specifically relevant to the portfolio.
The Minister and officials from the Office for Senior Citizens contribute to policies affecting older people developed by a range of government agencies.
The advocacy responsibility of the Senior Citizens portfolio means that the Minister for Senior Citizens may take a stance on an issue that is different to that taken by other Ministers.
Officials from the Office for Senior Citizens ensure that, in considering other agencies policy initiatives, any particular implications for older people or matters of relevance to the Senior Citizens portfolio are identified.
The advocacy function of the Minister for Senior Citizens is not based on an assumption that all older people are the same. Older people are generally considered to be those aged 65 years and over, with many older people living into their 90s and some beyond 100 years. This means that the population of older people covers several generations.
There are more than 463,000 people aged 65 years and over currently living in New Zealand. Within that numerically significant population group there is likely to be the same variation of views, needs, interests, cultures, wealth, experience, and lifestyle as in the general population.
Policies that are specifically tailored to the older population will therefore impact quite differently on individual older people, or on particular groups within the older population.
A further consideration is that, while the portfolio responsibility requires the Minister for Senior Citizens to represent the needs and expectations of older people, these must be balanced against the requirements of other age groups and those of future generations of older people. In considering such issues, the focus of the Senior Citizens portfolio is to enhance the wellbeing of older people.
Vote: Senior Citizens
The Senior Citizens portfolio is funded through Vote: Senior Citizens. Currently, the Office for Senior Citizens operates on a budget allocation of $600,000 (GST inclusive).
Table 1: Office for Senior Citizens Budget
| Budget | 30/06/2003. [3] $000 |
|---|---|
| Salaries & Personnel | 334,688 |
| Training | 8,437 |
| Total Personnel | 343,125 |
| Administration Costs (including the Advisory Council for Senior Citizens) | 54,375 |
| Total Administration | 54,375 |
| Volunteer Community Co-ordinators | 112,500[4] |
| Total Other | 112,500 |
| TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET | 510,000 |
| OVERHEADS. [5] | 90,000 |
| BUDGET TOTAL (GST inclusive) | 600,000 |
Office for Senior Citizens
The Office currently has a Director, one full-time and one part-time senior analyst, a full time analyst, a Volunteer Community Co-ordinator, and an office administrator. The Office reports to the Minister through the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development. The Office maintains close contact with the Office of the Minister for Senior Citizens.
As well as providing policy advice to the Minister for Senior Citizens, the Office is responsible for ministerial services, including preparing draft responses to ministerial correspondence, Parliamentary Questions and requests made under the Official Information Act.
An annual performance agreement is signed between the Minister for Senior Citizens and the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development. The agreement outlines the parameters of the work for the Office for Senior Citizens and sets performance measures for policy advice and ministerial services.
A six-monthly work programme, identifying the work the Office proposes to undertake, is prepared for the Minister's consideration. The majority of the Office's work is demand driven, comprising requests from the Minister and government agencies to provide advice on policies that affect older people. While the Ministry of Social Development led the work for the Positive Ageing Strategy, the Office played a significant role in overseeing the development of the Strategy on behalf of the Minister for Senior Citizens.
More recently, at the Minister's request, the Office led the development of the Retirement Villages Bill. The Office has also been working closely with the Ministry of Justice on proposed amendments to the enduring power of attorney provisions of the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act.
At the Minister's request, the Office has also taken a lead role in developing initiatives to promote positive ageing, with government agencies and community organisations. It has led initiatives such as funding for the establishment of elder abuse and neglect prevention services, planning for the International Year of Older Persons (IYOP) 1999 and responsibility for co-ordinating the celebration of the IYOP, the establishment of the Volunteer Community Co-ordinators programme and the LinkAge guidelines for intergenerational programmes in schools.
Advisory Council for Senior Citizens
The Advisory Council for Senior Citizens comprises five to seven community representatives who provide the Minister for Senior Citizens with independent advice on issues concerning the wellbeing of older people. Members are appointed, as individuals, because of their knowledge of older people's issues and their community involvement and not as representatives of particular interest groups. The Minister seeks Cabinet approval for appointments to the Advisory Council.
The Advisory Council meets every two months for a full day, at the Ministry of Social Development. The Minister generally attends part of the meetings to discuss issues. An annual work programme is developed by the Advisory Council, for the Minister's consideration. Throughout the year, other work is undertaken at the Minister's request, or at the instigation of Advisory Council members. The Advisory Council receives policy advice and secretariat services from the Office for Senior Citizens.
Since its establishment in 1992, the cost of the Advisory Council has been met from within the baseline for Vote: Senior Citizens.
Current membership
The five current Advisory Council members have been on the Council for between five and seven years. The current Chair of the Committee was appointed in June 2001. In February 2002, the Chair and members of the Committee were all re-appointed until 1 January 2003. The decision to roll-over existing members, rather than undertake a new appointments process was based on several considerations. The first was that with an election then likely around November 2002, it was considered more fitting to allow a new Minister to make decisions about the membership of the Council within a few months of coming to office. The second consideration was that their reappointment for what is half an ordinary term of office ensured the continuation of advice to the incumbent Minister.
The current members of the Advisory Council are:
- Rt Hon Bob Tizard is the Chairperson. His first term of appointment began in June 2001. Mr Tizard was a Labour Member of Parliament for 30 years and retired from Parliament in 1990. During that time he held a number of Ministerial portfolios, including Deputy Prime Minister, Health, Finance, Defence and Research, Science and Technology.
- Mr Ronald Francis was first appointed to the Advisory Council on 1 November 1994. He served as Chairperson for five years. In 1998 Mr Francis retired as the financial manager of a religious and welfare residential care facility for older people in Wellington. He has completed two full terms on the Advisory Council and since 2000 has twice been re-appointed for partial terms.
- Ms Beverley Chappell was first appointed to the Advisory Council on 1 July 1997. She is highly regarded as a nurse educator and practitioner. Ms Chappell has extensive knowledge of health issues, including those concerning older people.
- Ms Anne Delamere, QSO, was first appointed to the Advisory Council on 1 July 1997. She is of Te Whānau a Apanui and Te Arawa descent and currently works within the Wellington community advocating for Māori women. Ms Delamere is a Life Member of the Māori Women's Welfare League.
- Mr David Dobson was appointed to the Advisory Council on 1 July 1999. He is a past Chairperson of SeniorNet Wellington, a community organisation providing peer education computer courses to people aged 55 years and over. Mr Dobson has had extensive experience in the corporate sector and was, until 1995, the General Manager of the New Zealand Pork Industry Board.
- Mr John Probert was appointed to the Advisory Council on 1 July 1999. He is an ordained Salvation Army Minister and has a background in human resource management and the development and delivery of services in the non-for-profit sector.
The growing profile of the Senior Citizens portfolio
The profile of the Senior Citizens portfolio has progressively increased since its establishment in 1990, and is likely to increase further with the growth of the ageing population.
Government agencies, community organisations and the public are taking a greater interest in issues related to ageing. Organisations representing the interests of older people are becoming more political and forthright in presenting their views.
The expectations of older people are that the Minister reflects their views and interests at government policy and decision-making forums, and represents and explains policy changes clearly and sensitively.
Financial constraints have made it necessary to restrict the Advisory Council membership mainly to the Wellington area and this has led to older people's groups questioning its ability to represent a national perspective.
Regular consultation with older people's groups is considered to be essential to the Office for Senior Citizens developing good advice. It enables the Office to keep in touch with the issues affecting the older population and ensures that the advice given to the Minister accurately reflects the views of older people. Consultation also raises the public awareness of the Minister for Senior Citizens role and increases knowledge about the portfolio.
The establishment of the Volunteer Community Co-ordinators (VCCs) programme[6] has enabled the Office to work with VCCs on specific community consultation exercises. For example, in 2002 the VCCs carried out an extensive consultation on the Law Commissions recommended amendments to the enduring powers of attorney provisions of the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act.
The extent of community and sector group consultation that the Office, or VCCs, can undertake on behalf of the Office, is determined by the funding available.
The VCC programme has in effect overtaken much of the role of the Advisory Council and provides the Minister for Senior Citizens with access to regional, national and cultural perspectives on a wide range of issues.
Endnotes
1. On 1 July 2002 the Senior Citizens Unit became the Office for Senior Citizens. The change in name has not materially affected the functions or output of the agency, but does better reflect the nature of work undertaken and the growing importance of the Senior Citizens portfolio.
2. Details of the Retirement Villages Bill are outlined in Chapter 7.
3. For the period 1 July 2002 30 June 2003.
4. Funding for the Volunteer Community Co-ordinators programme falls out of the International Year of Older Persons Budget commitments. The VCC funding is not part of the operating or personnel budget of the Office for Senior Citizens.
5. Overhead costs include occupancy, depreciation, capital charge and support services costs.
6. The Volunteer Community Co-ordinators Programme is outlined in detail in Chapter 8 of the Briefing Papers.
