Advocating for people 50 + From the President’s Desk

A happy New Year to everybody.

Let us hope it is more positive for our seniors than the last two years. Grey Power Marlborough ended 2022 on a very positive note by holding an afternoon tea for our members who were over 80 at the Scenic Circle Hotel. This was such a lovely event with a speaker from Totara and a sing-along to end off the afternoon. We hope to hold more of these events in 2023.

(See Afternoon Tea piece below for the next one on February 14, Ed.)

I have been reading a booklet called ‘Reflections on Kaumātua, Pākehā and Seniors Housing’. This was very interesting reading and highlighted the inequalities we have in senior housing in New Zealand.

Unlike a lot of other councils around the country, Marlborough District Council is working alongside other community housing organisations to make more community housing available for seniors.

On reading the booklet I observed there is not enough affordable community housing for seniors. Many people are renting sometimes substandard private accommodation, so that they can afford to pay their rent and have money left for their other needs such as food, clothing and essential service bills.

With many seniors now renting, affordable accommodation is becoming difficult to find. Those now under 65, who will be renters for the rest of their lives, will

Elder Law

become our seniors of tomorrow, then seeking community housing. So this problem is not going to go away.

Locally, Grey Power works with Abbeyfield Marlborough, (part of Abbeyfield New Zealand), who are seeking to source land to build low-cost en-suite studio accommodation in a village style setting. This model allows older seniors to have their own accommodation, and also receive the benefits of food being cooked for them, communal areas to prevent social isolation and someone always on hand as part of their rental package.

There are currently several of these complexes around New Zealand, with our nearest one being in Nelson.

What is needed in Marlborough is some available land so Abbeyfield Marlborough can start building. Let us hope 2000 square metres of land becomes available soon to help alleviate our housing congestion.

Gayle Chambers President