Sarah Clark has been in her role as director of the Office for Senior Citizens for almost a year and believes that our ageing society is one of our greatest achievements and a great challenge for central and regional government.
Ms Clark visited Wanganui on Thursday and met Wanganui District Council and Age Concern, as part of a regional consultation process. "Our population has always resembled a pyramid shape, with the majority of citizens in the younger age groups and older people in the minority, but this has reversed as people remain healthier and live longer, so the pyramid is becoming inverted.
"Our ageing population is one of our greatest achievements, and the challenge for Government and communities is to develop strategies and policies that enable us to cope with the societal changes."
Ms Clark said the Office for Senior Citizens is housed within the Ministry of Social Development and consists of a director and two-and-a-half staff.
"We are a small drop in the ocean but I like to think we punch above our weight," she told a group at Age Concern.