Last year’s November Parliamentary visit by Grey Power Federation delegates included discussions with the Hon Chris Bishop, Minister of Housing and Minister of Transport and covered three key objectives. They were:
- To ensure that the Minister was aware of the inequities in evaluation of driving licence renewals for older people.
- To seek support for older retirees with limited financial resources who were unable to rent affordable, suitable accommodation due to the ceiling on the Accommodation Supplement in place since 2018.
- To make the Minister aware that many retirees wanting to downsize and free up their homes are unable to secure bridging finance for the transition if they are dependent on New Zealand Superannuation as their prime source of income.
Grey Power vice-president, David Marshall stressed that New Zealand Transport Association (NZTA) had been proactive in making the licence renewal process more accessible for seniors. However, liaison with the medical profession, which had variable standards of assessment, was an ongoing issue.
At the parliamentary visit it was clear that Minister Bishop was very aware of the ageism associated with licence renewal in many areas of New Zealand.
He supported GPF/NZTA efforts to make the process easier, and to work with Auckland University to evaluate the validity of using cognitive tests to assess driving ability. He also urged the NZTA representative present to ensure GPF was engaged in this process with Auckland University as soon as possible.
Labour Transport spokesperson, Tangi Utikere, also asked to be kept updated on any progress reports regarding current and ongoing NZTA/GPF research.
On the subject of the Accommodation Supplement, Minister Bishop said he was more focused on working to find other affordable housing options for older people. He specifically mentioned the Abbeyfield model as a constructive, cost-effective solution for many older people and strongly supported it.
While Grey Power believes an immediate increase in the Accommodation Supplement would bring some relief for some of the country’s most vulnerable older renters, it was agreed that long-term sustainable housing solutions, which can be delivered quickly, would be welcome.
On the subject of bridging finance, the Minister said he was unaware of the lack of availability of bridging finance for retirees seeking to downsize in their communities. He committed to raising this with the major banks as a part of their [the banks’] social commitment.
