Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Will Tauranga be an age-friendly city?

By Merepeka Raukawa-Tait
Bay of Plenty Times·
3 Jul, 2018 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The World Health Organisation has developed a checklist of essential features of age-friendly cities but does Tauranga stack up? Photo/file A_100317aw07bop.JPG

The World Health Organisation has developed a checklist of essential features of age-friendly cities but does Tauranga stack up? Photo/file A_100317aw07bop.JPG

It's so much easier working in the present. You know what you're dealing with. No guesswork involved. But the future. That's way off in the distance.

Who knows what conditions and circumstances will exist in 20 or 50 years' time.
But in many areas we do know and it's not guesswork.

Research, based on current trends and data is telling us the future now and what we can expect. Climate change is a given, that much we do know.

Technology will erase thousands of jobs, change the workplace and existing businesses.

Even the removal of borders separating countries in Europe is being predicted. That prediction must have come from outside of Europe.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I can't think of one sovereign nation in Europe that would willingly throw open its borders.

But that's just it, we don't know what the future holds so we had better keep a good eye on it, locally too.

This was very evident last week at the National Age-Friendly Communities Forum held in Wellington.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The forum was all about the future. Looking at what was happening overseas, what our own data here in New Zealand was telling us and what we as local communities need to prepare and plan for to create age-friendly communities.

It was refreshing to see those with age on their side talking about what an age-friendly city would look like to them.

They know, from their own experiences and perspectives, what is working well and the positive characteristics of an age-friendly city.

They highlighted barriers. I always find service user and consumer forums very enlightening. In most cases where change is needed, to be effective, these groups must be involved as full partners.

Discover more

Opinion: Let's pretend it's summer

28 Jun 06:32 AM
Crime

We should not push the homeless into the shadows

27 Jun 04:17 PM

Letters: Marina plan, support for nurses and alcohol

29 Jun 04:00 PM

Opinion: Embracing the digital age

01 Jul 05:14 PM

They should play a role in suggesting and recommending changes and in implementing and monitoring improvements.

How prepared is New Zealand for the global trend of an ageing population?

From what I heard at the forum we are talking about it a lot but it needs focused action and commitment from both central and local government.

The Minister for Seniors, Tracey Martin, gave an assurance the ministry would work alongside local councils to raise awareness and provide information to adapt structures and services to be accessible to, and inclusive of, older people with varying needs and capacities.

She reminded us that just like the rest of the population, older people are not a homogeneous group. They have varying and different needs too.

By 2030 about three out of every five people in the world will live in cities. When I heard this I did wonder who will be left on the land, farming and producing the food for this mass of humanity.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Maybe we'll all be swallowing coloured pills by then, one for breakfast, one for lunch and one dinner. That'll gain us an extra hour or two a day. To do what? Sit down, ponder and plan.

The World Health Organisation has developed a checklist of essential features of age-friendly cities.

These include: Outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, community and health services.

What was clear from the forum is that local councils can't do it all with many saying there were often difficulties getting started.

Ageist attitudes are still with us and need to be challenged. These are behaviours and the messages of other people and of the community as a whole towards older people.
These have a strong influence on social participation. Making older people feel wanted and prepared to engage in recreational, social, cultural, educational and spiritual activities.

Active ageing in supportive, enabling communities is one of the most effective approaches to maintaining quality of life in an increasingly older and more urban world.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Not about us without us" was my take-home message from the forum. Delivered clearly by those who want to translate the available research into local actions. They put their stake in the ground.

* Merepeka Raukawa-Tait is a Rotorua District councillor, Lakes District Health Board member and chairs the North Island Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart political correctness.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Sustained period of cruelty': Starship doctor slates child protection agency failings

Bay of Plenty Times

Eastern BoP mayors unite against council amalgamation

Bay of Plenty Times

'Mind-blowing': Chef's two-ingredient meringue breakthrough


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Sustained period of cruelty': Starship doctor slates child protection agency failings
Bay of Plenty Times

'Sustained period of cruelty': Starship doctor slates child protection agency failings

An almost identical case occurred two months after Malachi's death, the doctor said.

16 Jul 05:15 AM
Eastern BoP mayors unite against council amalgamation
Bay of Plenty Times

Eastern BoP mayors unite against council amalgamation

15 Jul 10:57 PM
'Mind-blowing': Chef's two-ingredient meringue breakthrough
Bay of Plenty Times

'Mind-blowing': Chef's two-ingredient meringue breakthrough

15 Jul 09:44 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP