Chapter 10 - Challenges and opportunities

Key Messages

• Older people have high expectations of the Minister for Senior Citizens to effectively advocate for them in several key policy areas.
• Over the next three years there will be opportunities for the Minister for Senior Citizens to progress a number of key issues affecting older people.
• An advocacy focus in a portfolio that does not include statutory responsibilities or service delivery functions can impact on the effectiveness of the portfolio Minister.
• Strategies and programmes such as the Positive Ageing Strategy and the Volunteer Community Co-ordinator programme mitigate against the potential limitations of this advocacy portfolio.

Introduction

Senior Citizens is an advocacy portfolio. The population of older people is fast approaching half a million, and the range of issues relevant to that population is large and diverse. The older population is also a growing political force. There are currently no statutory responsibilities or functions conferred on the Minister for Senior Citizens, and the advocacy role is carried out in a policy environment of competing financial priorities and a range of strategic goals.

The Minister for Senior Citizens can be in both an enviable and an unenviable position. On the one hand, the Minister does not have principal responsibility for delivering on any particular policy programme affecting Senior Citizens. The Minister would normally work with and seek to influence colleagues with policy responsibility for programmes that affect older people. On the other hand, an advocacy role can be frustrating in that while older people may want the Minister to drive a policy issue in a particular direction, the Minister is rarely in a position to lead a policy development process.

The population the portfolio serves is diverse, and continues to grow. This briefing has identified large variations in the age, health and wealth of that population. The diversity of the older population in terms of attitudes, views and expectations on matters of public policy has also been noted. There are several policy issues that are of ongoing priority and interest to older people, and their expectations are high in terms of progress on those issues.

Opportunities

The Positive Ageing Strategy and Status Reports

The Positive Ageing Strategy and the Status of Older People reports provide useful information for the Minister for Senior Citizens on all of the issues relevant to the portfolio.

The Positive Ageing Strategy is a whole of government initiative, that relies for its ongoing progress on each government department meeting timeframes and delivering on work items that have been signed off by their Chief Executives.

The Positive Ageing Strategy action plan and annual reporting regime represents a model of accountability and delivery. This means that the Minister for Senior Citizens has a dynamic strategic framework for the portfolio that summarises and annually updates work being carried out across the government sector on issues relevant to older people.

The three-yearly update on the Status of Older People also provides the Minister for Senior Citizens with a tangible measure of improvements in the welfare and wellbeing of older New Zealanders. While recognising that welfare and wellbeing are influenced by a range of internal and external factors other than the policies and initiatives generated from central government, the Status report can assist in identifying areas that need particular attention at a central government level. Strategy provides the Minister with a dynamic strategic framework.

Involvement in new legislation

The previous Minister for Senior Citizens took the lead in the introduction of Retirement Villages legislation, which at the time of the announcement of the 2002 General Election was under the consideration of the Justice and Electoral Select Committee. Subject to its passage into law, decisions will need to be made on which Minister will have responsibility for administering the Act. Irrespective of whether the Minister for Senior Citizens assumes that responsibility, the Minister will have an opportunity to support the implementation and monitor the effectiveness of the Retirement Villages Act.

The review of the enduring powers of attorney provisions in the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 is likely to result in legislative amendment. Enduring powers of attorney do not only apply to older people, but the link between elder abuse and neglect and the abuse of power of attorney renders this matter particularly relevant to the Minister for Senior Citizens.

Input into policy development

The Office for Senior Citizens provides policy advice to the Minister on matters of relevance to older people. With the exception of the retirement villages legislation, the Office has not to date led policy development projects. This is because most policy issues of particular relevance to older people fall within the portfolio responsibilities of other Ministers or are statutorily prescribed in legislation for which other Ministers have responsibility.

While the Senior Citizens portfolio does not include a specific policy development function, there are several mechanisms available to the Minister to ensure that a senior citizens perspective is reflected in policy development. The Office for Senior Citizens is part of the established network of government agencies all of which are expected to involve other agencies in the policy development process.

This expectation is extremely high if a policy issue in development is of particular relevance to another portfolio. The need for consultation is formalised in the process required for the preparation of Cabinet papers. In being part of the much larger Ministry of Social Development, the Office also has links into policy work being undertaken within the Ministry.

Relationship with the community and older peoples organisations

The Minister for Senior Citizens can consult with, and elicit the views of, older people either directly through contact with older peoples organisations, or through the Office for Senior Citizens and the Volunteer Community Co-ordinator programme.

The relationship between the Office for Senior Citizens and a wide range of community groups and older peoples organisations is a valuable consultation and networking resource which the Minister for Senior Citizens can utilise. The Volunteer Community Co-ordinators programme also provides a consultation and community education resource that the Minister can access, as and when required.

Challenges

Managing expectations

The previous government made several undertakings on policy matters affecting older people. One of these was the removal of asset testing in the assessment of eligibility for residential care subsidy. While the Minister for Senior Citizens did not have lead responsibility for this area of policy, older people continue to have high expectations that asset testing will be removed and are likely to view the Minister for Senior Citizens as instrumental in prioritising progress on this issue.

The Office for Senior Citizens

On 1 July 2002 the Senior Citizens Unit became the Office for Senior Citizens. The change in name reflects the growing importance of the Senior Citizens portfolio. This is due in part to the increasing exposure of issues for older people through the Positive Ageing Strategy and the Volunteer Community Co-ordinators network. It is also a product of several high profile work items including the introduction of the Retirement Villages Bill, and the review of the Law Commissions recommendations on amendment to the enduring powers of attorney provisions in the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act.

As the portfolio grows in exposure and expectation, the expectations on the Minister and the Office for Senior Citizens will similarly increase. The operational budget of Vote: Senior Citizens has not increased since it was established in 1992. Accordingly, the challenge for the Office will be to find the balance between effective advocacy, policy coverage, networking, consultation and advice.

Conclusion

In summary, Senior Citizens is a small portfolio covering a wide range of policy issues. Many of the matters of particular concern to older people have a high public profile. The Minister for Senior Citizens is viewed by many older people as being their champion and advocate in progressing policy that is responsive to their views and interests. The Minister for Senior Citizens is therefore expected to advocate effectively for a large and diverse section of the population. This environment contains opportunities and challenges for a Minister.