Goal 6 of the Positive Ageing Strategy
Cultural Diversity – a range of culturally appropriate services allows choices for older people
On this page:
Older people in New Zealand are increasingly diverse. The rising proportions of Māori, Pacific and Asian people are changing the cultural make-up of older people and introducing a range of approaches and attitudes towards ageing and the support of older people.
Details below about this goal are taken from the 2014 report on the Positive Ageing Strategy, published in April 2015. Your feedback will help inform the next comprehensive update due to be carried out in 2017.
More information and references are available by downloading a full copy of the report.
Cultural Diversity: key achievements
- Targeting services and information to ethnic groups
- Providing some culturally appropriate services, such as housing for Māori
What’s happening?
Large urban areas (especially Auckland) are more culturally diverse
Auckland is New Zealand’s most culturally diverse city, with a particular feature being its rapidly growing Asian population – an ethnic group that will be the fastest growing in the next 20 years. Of Auckland’s total population, 23 percent are of Asian descent compared with 12 percent for New Zealand as a whole. The city has a number of positive ageing groups for the emerging Chinese and Korean older communities.
Some ethnic communities have a high risk of social isolation
Social isolation is a significant risk for older immigrants, such as those in Auckland’s Korean and Chinese communities whose children, with whom they immigrated, have moved away from the region. Some have limited English and find it difficult to access information and services.
Most services focus on New Zealand Europeans
New Zealand’s Māori and Pacific people are forecast to live longer than they do today (although the gaps between these groups and New Zealand Europeans are forecast to continue), and Asian groups will likely experience the largest proportional increases in the next 20 years.
However, services for older people generally focus on New Zealand European needs, as they are the dominant ethnicity among older people. This has led to issues for people in older ethnic minority groups, who often need a more culturally appropriate approach.
The Office for Ethnic Affairs is recommending change
The Office for Ethnic Affairs has made a number of suggestions in relation to Goal Six. These include:
- building connections between mainstream services and the ethnic older population
- helping community-based service providers to provide better services
- encouraging mainstream service providers to use ethnic media to promote services to ethnic older people
- creating appropriate and self-directed support groups for older people
Examples of services and programmes
OSC and MSD – Translating documents into other languages
OSC is translating its enduring power of attorney brochures into nine languages – Māori, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese – and will launch a related media campaign in relevant ethnic publications. In addition, a number of MSD publications have been translated into other languages, including SuperGold Card factsheets and A Guide for Carers.
Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust (Waikato)
The Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust is a non-profit, kaumātua governed and led organisation servicing the needs of kaumātua in Kirikiriroa in Waikato. It provides a range of health, social, educational, cultural, recreational, housing and financial services to people aged 55-plus. Although focused on Māori, Rauawaawa is not exclusive: of the more than 560 kaumātua registered, only 80 percent are reported as Māori.
So how are we doing?
New Zealand’s increasing cultural diversity will become more apparent in our older population in future, particularly among Māori and Pacific peoples, who are forecast to live longer than they do today. It should be noted, however, that gaps between these groups and New Zealand European are forecast to continue.
Current services for older people are, in general, provided from a New Zealand European perspective. This will need to change as a more culturally diverse population will require more responsive services, in particular for older Asian ethnic groups, which will likely experience the largest proportional increases in the next 20 years.
What do you think?
- What can we do to ensure that older ethnic populations stay connected to the wider community?
- What are the implications of providing services for an older ethnic population? Are we giving them enough attention?
If you would like to share with us your views on Goal 6, then please send us an email.