Goal 8 of The Positive Ageing Strategy
Positive Attitudes – people of all ages have positive attitudes to ageing and older people
On this page:
An ageing society in which older people can continue to participate, and to which they can contribute their time, energy, experience and wisdom, can bring many benefits to communities and the country.
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.
Positive Attitudes: key achievements
- Progressing The Business of Ageing project to highlight older people’s contributions to the economy as workers, volunteers, taxpayers and consumers
- Investigating the ‘Age-Friendly Cities’ concept in some regions
What’s happening?
Considering older people as a consumer group
Launched in 2010, The Business of Ageing project explores the economic value and business opportunities that our ageing population can create, with the aim of encouraging discussion and further research.
The project’s most recent (2015) update on the economic contribution of those aged 65-plus concluded that:
- more older people will stay in the paid workforce
- their total income will increase – their after-tax income is projected to rise from $16 billion in 2011 to over $73 billion in 2051
- their total tax contribution (from wages and salaries, investments, benefits, pensions and GST) will increase from $4 billion in 2011 to $17 billion in 2051
- these factors could make a substantial contribution to funding the increasing cost of NZS
- their spending power as income earners and consumers will increase, with spending by older people expected to rise from $14 billion in 2011 to around $65 billion in 2051
- these factors could make a substantial contribution to funding the increasing cost of NZS
- businesses will need to understand the wants and needs of this demographic in order to grow
These conclusions demonstrate that a growing number of older people are in good health, have valuable skills and experience and are willing to make a significant contribution to the economy and society.
Working towards age-friendly cities
A number of our regions are actively working on being ‘age-friendly’ and meeting the requirements of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Global Age-Friendly Cities guide. WHO defines an age-friendly city as one that: “encourages active ageing by optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age”.
The guide is designed to help councils plan for an ageing population, and covers eight key areas:
- Outdoor spaces and buildings
- Transportation
- Housing
- Social participation
- Respect and social inclusion
- Civic participation and employment
- Communication and information
- Community support and health services
Christchurch City is incorporating the principles of the Age-Friendly Cities guide in its rebuild plans, and several other towns and cities are looking at.
Examples of services, programmes and research
OSC – Primary school essay competition
An essay competition for primary school children was held in October 2014, coinciding with the International Day of the Older Person. Organised by OSC with help from the Ministry of Education, it aimed to encourage greater cross-generational understanding, and promote community connections and mutual respect.
A total of 97 children accepted the challenge to write an essay on the theme of ‘1914–2014: the Greatest Greats and Grands of the last 100 years’. Most chose to write about family members, with the two winners writing about their great grandparents’ experiences in World War II.
Intergenerational dialogue in Auckland
A group of about 70 older and younger people attended an intergenerational dialogue in Auckland in May 2014 – discussing topics such as hardship, social media, bullying and media perceptions of older and younger people. Just over half of the participants were from local high schools. Feedback was extremely positive, with many recommending more dialogue opportunities, more often and with larger groups.
Whangarei District Council – Civic Honours Awards
Every year Whangarei District Council recognises the contributions of its older population by presenting up to four Civic Honours Awards for outstanding voluntary service
So how are we doing?
Many perceive our ageing society as a burden, yet it’s one of our greatest achievements. People are living significantly longer and healthier lives than they did 50–100 years ago and, as The Business of Ageing report highlighted, a growing number of older people are in good health, have valuable skills and experience and are willing to make a significant contribution to the economy and society. Businesses will need to find ways to tap into this group as it grows in the next 20 years.