For 40 years Grey Power has advocated for the rights of senior New Zealanders. Now, the acting president, David Marshall says the Federation Board has endorsed Christchurch Methodist Mission’s, nationwide campaign, Doors to Dignity, aimed at increasing investment in social and affordable housing for older people. Here is his report of the campaign launch at Parliament in March this year.
Attended by more than 100 people, the launch of Doors to Dignity was co-hosted by MPs with cross party support, indicating acknowledgement of the importance of the growing senior housing crisis.
Executive Director, of the Christchurch Methodist Mission, Jill Hawkey, outlined the Mission’s journey with older people who were homeless or struggling with affordable and sustainable accommodation.
To better define the growing rise of accommodation issues, Jill said statistics from researchers such as Dr Kay Saville-Smith and the Retirement Commission were reviewed.
In addition, a creative partnership with photographer and senior lecturer at Massey University, David Cook, resulted in a pictorial campaign booklet entitled, Listen Up, portraying clients’ stories and their thoughts on required changes. It can now be viewed on-line at www.doorstodignity.nz
Statistics referenced to in the campaign booklet include:
The benefit of the Healthy Homes initiative exceeded the cost to Health NZ within a year and provided a five-year return of 507%. However, nearly a quarter of landlords were opposed to implementing the standards and the burden fell on the renter with the potential loss of accommodation if a complaint was raised.
While the number on the MSD Housing Register had declined in June 2025, the total of those aged over 65 years has continued to rise and now exceeds the 2020 number by 90%.
Currently only 2% of housing stock is classified as meeting accessibility standards. Incorporating accessibility standards into all new builds would be relatively inexpensive compared to the significant costs of modification of existing properties.
Through advocacy, collaboration, and community engagement, the Doors to Dignity programme aims to ensure all older New Zealanders can live with security, dignity, and peace of mind in their later years. The campaign is seeking seven key outcomes for ‘Older People’ including:
- Ageing in place, living in safe, warm, dry, healthy homes.
- Renters paying less than 30% of their income in rent.
- Living in age-friendly, accessible homes designed to adapt to their needs and choices.
- Able to age in place, staying in their homes for as long as they wish.
- Living in housing which enhances their expression of cultural identity and facilitates their cultural connections.
- Living in age-friendly environments which enable them to feel safe, access local amenities and services and participate in their communities.
- Living in housing which gives them access to clean running water, power, waste services, internet and emergency services.
At the campaign launch, MPs, Chris Bishop (Minister for Housing), Kieran McAnulty (Labour Party Spokesperson for Housing), Tamatha Paul (Green Party Spokesperson for Housing) and Andy Foster (NZ First Spokesperson for Housing) each gave a short address acknowledging issues raised and the need for new, constructive approaches to address this escalating housing crisis for seniors.
Minister Bishop stressed that housing funding offering greater flexibility with different solutions for different people, had been implemented. The funding aims to provide the right homes where the need is greatest.
All MPs appeared keen to facilitate the ability of seniors to age well in their own homes and issues were generally supported across the political spectrum.
However, without community ideas and solutions, addressing the growing senior housing crisis will continue to be an urgent issue for government and community alike.
Readers are encouraged to support the Doors to Dignity petition to Parliament. It is available on their website. www.doorstodignity.nz
DOORS TO DIGNITY PANEL DISCUSSION
A panel discussion was a logical follow up to the launch of Doors to Dignity at Parliament and allowed a group of those actively involved in senior housing to participate and share thoughts to a very engaged audience.
Paul Gilberd, CE of Community Housing Aotearoa was the facilitator and the panelists were Dr Kay Saville-Smith (Research Director, CRESA); Andrea Elliott, (CE of Te Runanga o Kirikiriroa) Yvonne Wilson, (Strategic Relations Manager Te Runanga o Kirikiriroa) and Denise Cosgrove, (CE of The Selwyn Foundation).
Each one had something appropriate to offer. Dr Saville-Smith, had recently stepped down from full time involvement in housing research but retains a huge passion for this area. She lamented that despite research identifying problems, the magnitude and urgency of the crisis had not been resolved. She said she saw, “a housing system crisis rather than a housing crisis”.
While home ownership amongst current retirees remains high, there is significant, ongoing decline in ownership among those aged 40-55 years. From 1986-2018 private rentals increased by 119%, while home ownership increased by only 31%.
Dr Savile-Smith said the change in the housing market was not so much a welfare issue, but an infrastructure failure.
She called for more measures to address issues including making accessibility mandatory for new builds, increasing new models of ownership such as shared ownership models, and establishing targeted subsidised support for tenants.
Yvonne Wilson (who has 10 children and 43 mokopuna) and Andrea Elliott spoke about the Hamilton community housing development they have overseen at Te Runanga o Kirikiriroa. It is an inter-generational village with every building accessible and environmentally sustainable.
A video overview of the property illustrated its community focus whilst catering for the needs of kaumatua and allowing them to age in place. Their research showed two-bedroom homes, allowing for a carer to stay over, were more desirable than the more limiting one-bedroom homes.
Denise Cosgrove spoke mainly on the Selwyn Foundation’s goal to look at funding and facilitating senior housing with priority given to the most vulnerable including older single women, Maori and Pacifica seniors, and those with dementia.
Selwyn Foundation is presently looking to help fund housing modifications so people can remain in their own homes. At present current regulations cap funded modifications to $8K for life.
In short, after the meeting, executive director, of the Christchurch Methodist Mission, Jill Hawkey welcomed any support Grey Power could offer the Doors to Dignity campaign and petition. This support was unanimously confirmed at a subsequent Federation Board meeting.
In further discussion, Paul Gilberd, CE of Community Housing Aotearoa, offered to provide some potential sources of funding to assist seniors wanting to down size in their communities if banks refused to provide bridging finance. Some exciting new, potential opportunities have developed since this meeting and will be communicated in the next few months.
