Bay of Plenty projects for elderly get funding boost through Community Connects

Parksyde Trust Rotorua is one of the funding recipients. Photo / File

Three Bay of Plenty groups are among the seven to receive a funding boost for age-friendly projects.

Tauranga City Council, Rotorua Multicultural Council and Parksyde Trust Rotorua have all been awarded funding through Community Connects grants for projects focused on supporting seniors and strengthening their connection with the community.

Over the past three years, Community Connects grants of up to $15,000, have been allocated to successful applicants to help communities plan or implement initiatives to make their community or city more age-friendly.

The Tauranga City Council grant is for an age-friendly project focused on supporting seniors in the post Covid-19 environment.

The local body was the first council in New Zealand to develop an age-friendly plan.

The Rotorua Multicultural Council is collaborating with Parksyde, the community centre for the 55+ age group, and with SeniorNet, a community training network that supports older adults in improving their computer skills.

The programme will introduce older migrants in Rotorua to the activities available through these two organisations and involve them in multicultural events that aim to improve their relationships and ties to the community.

"There are so many wonderful activities available for seniors in Rotorua, but older migrants are often unaware of these programmes enjoyed by Kiwis," said Dr Margriet Theron, the president of the Rotorua Multicultural Council.

"We will use our networks with over 60 ethnic communities and the generous Communities Connect funding from the Office for Seniors to enrich the lives of our senior migrants."

The Older Persons Community Centre (Parksyde) will bring the voices together to develop an Age-Friendly Rotorua Strategy, involving Parksyde Centre users, iwi, and the Rotorua community service organisations and agencies supporting older people in Rotorua.

Robyn Skelton, Parksyde manager, said the trust looked forward to working with organisations, agencies and iwi to "co-ordinate the development of a shared plan, fostering collaboration and common efforts, as well as identifying any gaps".

"The project hopes to tautoko what is in place, and plan for the future growth in the numbers. It's an exciting opportunity for which we thank the Office for Seniors."

The director of the Office for Seniors, Diane Turner, said backing initiatives such as these was even more important after the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The Covid lockdowns disproportionately impacted the lives of older people and further emphasised the importance of having inclusive communities.

"Age-friendly projects like this one will help with the recovery from the pandemic and strengthen community connections for the future," Turner said.

"With the right planning and support, we can create age-friendly environments where everyone, regardless of age, feels valued, connected and able to actively participate in the community."

Four other projects from across the country were also successful in this round of Community Connects grants. They were Alzheimer's Marlborough, the Family Centre Lower Hutt, Waikato Indian Senior Citizens' Association and Nelson Tasman Age Concern.