Part four: How the Office works

Our role

The Office for Senior Citizens was established in 1990 as a focal point for older people’s issues within government

We need to balance older people’s needs and expectations against those of other age groups

The New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy underpins all our work

The Office for Senior Citizens was established in 1990 to act as a focal point for older people’s issues within government. The ageing population means that the profile and significance of our portfolio has increased since our establishment. 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 also becoming more forthright in presenting their views.

The expectations of older people are that the Minister for Senior Citizens reflects their views and interests at government policy and decision making forums, and represents and explains policy changes clearly and sensitively.

We need to balance older people’s needs and expectations against those of other age groups 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 interests of other age groups in society, 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 today’s older people and older people in the future.

In providing advice on these issues, the Office contributes to the Ministry of Social Development’s goal of ensuring that “older people are valued as important members of society and have the right to dignity and security in their senior years, [and that] they have opportunities to use their skills, knowledge and experience to contribute to society”.

Figure 4.1 Strategic focus of the Office for Senior Citizens

We have the following key roles:

• supporting the Minister for Senior Citizens
• promoting, monitoring and reporting on the progress of the New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy within government and the wider community
• providing policy advice on older people’s issues, including:
  – leading strategic policy development across government
  – maintaining an overview of, and contributing an older people’s perspective to, policy development by other agencies
• developing policies to protect the rights of older people
• building healthy relationships with older people and their organisations.

The New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy underpins all of our work. To achieve the goals of the Strategy, we work across central, regional and local government, and with older people and their communities, supporting the development and achievement of action plans.

Our responsibilities

Supporting you, the Minister for Senior Citizens

You have a direct working relationship with the Office's Director

A primary function of the Office is to support and advise you. We will ensure that you are well informed about key issues and trends for older people, and will provide advice regarding opportunities for leadership.

As portfolio Minister, you are responsible for the priorities and work programme of the Office. There is a direct working relationship between the Office for Senior Citizens Director and you.

The effective management of ministerial correspondence is critical to maintaining credibility with the sector and the public. We prioritise our support, including drafting replies to ministerial correspondence, parliamentary questions, notes for speeches and requests made under the Official Information Act 1982 and any other briefing that you may require.

A weekly issues update and briefings on request ensure you are well informed about current issues for older people, in particular those that might arise in Cabinet discussions.

How we are funded – Vote: Senior Citizens

The Senior Citizens portfolio is funded through Vote: Senior Citizens. Currently, the Office for Senior Citizens operates on a budget of $814,000. Overhead costs bring the total Vote to $1,186,000 (GST exclusive).

Table 4.1 Vote: Senior Citizens budget

An annual performance agreement is signed between the Minister for Senior Citizens and the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development on behalf of the Office. The agreement outlines the parameters of the work for the Office for Senior Citizens, and sets performance measures for policy advice and ministerial services. Every six months we provide a draft work programme for your consideration, and we provide a report on the work programme at the end of each six-month period.

Office structure

The Office has a Director, two senior analysts (one part-time), two analysts, a Volunteer Community Co-ordinator programme manager and an executive assistant.

Relationship to the Ministry of Social Development

We are funded from Vote Senior Citizens, and sit within the Ministry of Social Development

Our location gives us good infrastructure support, and enables us to contribute to strategic policy

The Office is located within the Social Development Policy and Knowledge Group of the Ministry of Social Development, along with several other units with a whole-of-government perspective. These are Strategic Social Policy, Regional Social Policy, the Centre for Social Research and Evaluation and the Office for Disability Issues and the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector.

Figure 4.2 Where the Office fits within the Ministry of Social Development

Location within the Ministry of Social Development enables us to access the corporate support provided by the Ministry, including expertise in financial and human resource management, evaluation and research, and communication. Our administration and overhead costs are minimised through the economies of scale available to us as part of the larger Ministry.

Our inclusion within Social Development Policy and Knowledge enables us to contribute to the Ministry’s strategic policy development.

While our role has remained unchanged since 1990, over the past year there has been a major development in the way we work. This has occurred through the establishment of an Older Peoples’ Policy Group within the Ministry’s Social Services Policy Group.

The close working relationship between the Office and the Older Peoples’ Policy Group has enabled officials in each group to work together on a daily basis on policy issues and policy development. The pooling of resources has resulted in a better understanding of older people’s issues within the Ministry, and a more focused response to both the Minister for Senior Citizens and the Minister for Social Development and Employment.

A networking group of officials from the policy, research and delivery arms of the Ministry meets regularly to network and discuss policy and delivery issues and to ensure clear communication across different reporting lines.

Advisory Council for Senior Citizens

The Advisory Council for Senior Citizens provides independent advice to you as Minister

The Advisory Council was established in 1992. Members are appointed by the Minister to provide 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 has four members, one of whom is appointed as Chairperson. The term for each member is usually not less than two years. The Council may, from time to time, co-opt up to two people to provide expert advice on particular issues. The Advisory Council meets six times each calendar year. The Minister generally attends part of the meetings to discuss issues with members.

The current members of the Advisory Council for Senior Citizens are:

• Marlene Mulholland (Chairperson), Wellington
• Edith Ieremia, Christchurch
• Jim Ross, Kapiti
• Eru Manuera, Timaru.

The Advisory Council develops an annual work programme for your consideration. Throughout the year, it undertakes other work at your request, or at the instigation of Advisory Council members. The Advisory Council receives policy advice and secretariat services from the Office for Senior Citizens.

The terms of the four Advisory Council members expire on 30 June 2006.

Keeping in touch with older people and their issues

We regularly consult with older people’s groups in our communities using our network of 40 Volunteer Community Co-ordinators

The Office for Senior Citizens has a very effective programme to connect with older people in their communities. Regular consultation with older people’s groups is essential to the development of good advice. It enables us to keep in touch with the issues affecting the older population and ensures that our advice to you accurately reflects the views of older people. Consultation also raises public awareness of the Minister for Senior Citizens’ role, and increases knowledge about the portfolio.

Volunteer Community Co-ordinators

"I won’t take the credit for the work we do for our community. I just get people together and help get them pointed in the right direction."

(Ruby Aberhard, Volunteer Community Co-ordinator with the Office for Senior Citizens)

Our network of 40 Volunteer Community Co-ordinators (VCCs) is a key link between the community, the Office and the Minister.

VCCs maintain an avenue of communication between us and local older people’s interest groups. They bring together people from different cultures and backgrounds, including older Māori, representatives from rural and urban areas, community organisations, local and central government and individual older people to participate in projects that contribute to policy development.

We developed the VCC programme in 1999, the International Year of Older Persons, to raise awareness about the year and to encourage people throughout New Zealand to take part in activities and celebrations. In setting up the programme, the first point of contact was with key older people’s organisations and government agencies, including Te Puni Kökiri and the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. We then established a network of 29 VCCs around the country, a network that has since grown to 40.

The geographical spread of the VCCs means they are a great source of community-specific information. As part of the portfolio responsibilities, the Minister regularly receives requests to meet with a range of organisations representing the interests of older people. The Minister also receives invitations to address meetings and conferences that cover the matters specifically relevant to the portfolio. The grass-roots knowledge of the VCCs helps keep you informed of community developments affecting older people and identifies points of relevance to older people in geographic areas or interest groups.

In 2004, the VCCs found respondents for the Coping Without a Car research interviews. In 2005, they participated in design workshops for the pamphlet How will you get around when you stop driving?, based on the findings in the Coping Without a Car report.

The VCCs are also collecting information for the proposed development of an internet portal for Senior Citizens. Each year, the VCCs distribute the New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy annual reports and action plans to local service agencies and older people’s interest groups in their communities.

The VCC programme provides the Minister for Senior Citizens with access to regional, national and cultural perspectives on a wide range of issues.

Ambassadors for Positive Ageing

Ambassadors for Positive Ageing have made a special contribution to our work

Through our work with communities, we have developed contacts with a wide range of older people from different communities. Some have worked with us over a long period of time and, while they are not actively involved in the VCC programme, they have maintained a keen interest in the portfolio and have close ties with the Office. From time to time, we invite one of these older people to be an Ambassador for Positive Ageing.

The term Ambassador for Positive Ageing is given in recognition of the work an individual has done to promote positive ageing, and honours their wisdom and standing in the community. Ambassadors have demonstrated exemplary personal qualities and leadership in positive ageing.