Advocacy for our Older Community
C Bavister, Secretary
May Ramblings
The latest Grey Power Federation magazine is available from the office. If you are like me, I prefer to read it as a magazine rather than on line. If you have an idea for forums or would like a person to come and speak to us please send us an email.
A true story: In the Washington Zoo they have sloths. You know, that monkey like animal that sleeps all day and moves so slow that fungus grow on their fur. Anyway, the keepers were concerned that the daddy sloth was more slothley than usual. Took him to the vet, and did all sorts of tests, nothing. They set up observation in his cage. It transpires that a few weeks ago they had installed a heat lamp in the enclosure and our friend the sloth was spending all his time asleep under the heat lamp. Good on him!
On a more serious note, the new council rates for 2026/2027 are about to arrive in the mail. It has been reported that rates will rise by 6.8%. For those of us who pay rates; more budgeting. For those of us who rent our homes we can probably expect an increase in rent while the landlord sets to recover the rate rise.
A reminder that rates postponement schemes for those who have sufficient equity in their property, as well as flexible payment arrangements are available from council. The government funded rates rebate scheme also provides partial discounts for low-income home owners with a maximum rebate of $805. From July last year a new income threshold, means that super card holders and their households who earn up to $45,000 now become eligible for the full rebate.
It is getting cooler, so time to drag out those heaters. If you have a heat pump, vacuum the filter or if it is wall mounted, ask an agile family member. They will work more efficiently. Time also to pull out the woollies and shake out the moth balls. Check the hottie doesn’t leak (another tale of my life).
We were hoping that most members would have renewed their membership by now. Thank you to the 64% who have done so. We will send out reminders to the rest shortly. If you have already renewed some time ago and still get the reminder, let us know. If you just recently renewed, ignore it.
And now there is only one more thing to say: Keep warm, and consider the flu vaccine.
Gayle Chambers
Grey Power Federation President
News from the National President
Every time we have a face-to-face Board meeting, four times a year, we send
requests to visit with government ministers and parliamentarians from other
political parties. David Marshall (National Vice-President), Margaret Sole (National Secretary) and I attend these visits.
In February this year we were invited to see:
Ayesha Verrall, who holds the Health and Seniors portfolio, and Ingrid Leary who is the spokesperson for seniors and mental health. (Labour Party). Ms Verrall advised that Health is second on the list after the cost of living. Labour believes funding has not kept up with inflation, there are not enough nurses and doctors.
The President asked about the delay in diagnostics, when waiting for other interventions and how Labour intended to correct the shortage of specialised doctors, nurses in hospitals, general practice, and Aged Related care homes, was bonding a consideration? Ms Verrall advised there were models in the pipeline retraining of these groups.
The President also informed Ms Verrall and Leary about cognitive testing for renewal of driver’s licences for over 75’s and the negative impact this has on this cohort, usually with no correlation to their driving ability.
Community Home Care Contracts and the lack of auditing that takes place to ensure users of the service are receiving the cares they are entitled to.
When asked what Labour’s intended policies for older people were in the upcoming election the answer was:
● Job security for nurses
● Free doctors’ visits for older people living in New Zealand
● Considering multiple options on how to free up doctor’s time to enable them to see more patients.
Ms Leary offered to email out the findings of the Health Select committee report, which we have received, and this covers many of the discrepancies in the health sector that Grey Power advocate for.
Lawrence Xu-Nan, with one of his portfolios being Seniors and Education (Green Party) the President spoke about:
● Critical shortages of rest home beds and that many seniors are at risk living at home.
● Lack of bridging finance through the banks for seniors on fixed incomes that were wanting to downsize their properties
● The lack of acknowledgement of the role seniors play in their communities e.g. volunteering
● The launching of the Better Later Life strategy Action Plan 2025-2028 and the
necessity that these actions come to fruition
● The shingles vaccine only being free to people aged 65 years, when research proves that the older you are the more likely that you will suffer ongoing health related issues. *
* Since that meeting Mr Xu-Nan has written letters of support for Grey Power NZ to David Seymour (PHARMAC portfolio) and PHARMAC regarding the shingles vaccine and extending free vaccinations to those 65 years and over.
Winston Peters, Party Leader (NZ First) voiced that “more older people need to get off their backsides and join Grey Power, so they have a strong voice instead of moaning about all that is wrong”.
The President then requested that Minister Peters to voice his opinion when being interviewed about seniors. He replied that if he got the opportunity he would.
Minister Peters also advised that the Gold Card was in the process of turning into an official ID card and should be run out within 3 months.
When asked what NZ First’s intended policies for older people were in the upcoming election the answer was:
● The importance of cash as legal tender in New Zealand
● The need to acknowledge the older generation and their needs
Minister Peters is still very much a strong advocate for older people living in New Zealand. He also has the intention of attending our AGM for a short time as an observer.
Scott Simpson, who holds the ACC portfolio (National Party), accompanied by Brian Hesketh (ACC policy and research) advised that he had held the ACC portfolio for 12 months and in that time, he realised that ACC was in a precarious
state. He believes that ACC is now covering other areas, such as mental health, which is not defined as an accident.
The President raised two important issues:
● Part charges on medical visits when a person is covered by ACC, some of these charges being astronomical.
● Why older persons who had an injury that required surgery were not covered by ACC due to age wear and tear at the injury site. Not having this intervention could lead to the patient having further health issues due to the injury, which would then be a bigger financial burden on the health system.
The Minister and Mister Hesketh agreed to investigate this further. Minister Simpson suggested that Brian Hesketh be the conduit between ACC and Grey Power. We mentioned that Graeme Faulkner held the ACC portfolio at present. They knew Graeme and are very happy to work with him.
Greg Treadwell
Merja Myllylahti
Trust in News Rises Again
Public trust in news has risen for the first time since records began in 2020.
According to the latest Trust in News in Aotearoa New Zealand report, 37% of respondents now trust the news generally, up from just 32% last year. In the context of recent trends, that’s a fairly sizeable jump.
The report also shows 50% now trust the news they personally consume, also up five percentage points from 45% in 2025.
A significant contributing factor to the upturn in trust, we think, is greater public awareness of disinformation, deep fakes and AI slop.
The prevalence of such poor-quality information, distributed on social media for commercial or political gain, and the growing public debate it, seems to have made people more conscious of the need for verified facts.
As one male Pākehā respondent aged 35–44, put it: "Traditional news networks and journalists will end up regaining trust, because [there] will be no way to tell whether something is AI bullshit or not".
Indeed, this year we asked respondents where they go to check news they don’t trust. More than half said they went to a news source they did trust, among other places. Only 8% checked suspicious information using a chatbot.
As the COVID pandemic and its related social discord fade a little into history, are we perhaps also seeing a shift back towards a more reasonable national conversation? There was also less conspiratorial sentiment about a climate change hoax involving the entire news media. Anecdotally, at least, it seems the public might be moving on from overtly polarised positions.
New Zealanders have also clearly rejected commercial and political meddling in newsrooms. Overall, that’s 70% who reject that kind of interference in the news.
Asked which information sources they paid most attention to, 61% of respondents said traditional news media were among them. It seems a significant proportion also still values public-interest journalism for its professionalism, accountability, verification processes, and the checks and balances on its own work.
For the first time, we asked respondents who said they trusted news why they trusted it. The responses reveal the difference between those who have lost trust in news and those who retain it. Fact-checked stories with reputable sources that are reported on by multiple outlets are trustworthy, they said.
It’s important to be realistic about any positive trends in this latest survey. Since we started publishing the report, trust in news has been declining dangerously. While welcome, this recent upturn doesn’t alter the overall downward trend over time, which is fairly steep.
But over recent years, the news media have responded to the growing trust issue, and promoted transparency and verification processes. The government has also made public trust a key issue for the state-owned broadcasters.
Facing an overload of misinformation, particularly on social media, the public may be reacting. It’s still too early to say anything definitive. But this report suggests things are changing – potentially for the better.
Article is shortened. Click HERE for full text.
How to Save $31180
Ever since I was a child, I've always had a fear of someone under my bed at night.
So I went to a psychiatrist and told him: “I've got problems. Every time I go to bed I think there's somebody under it. I'm scared, I think I'm going crazy.”
“Just put yourself in my hands for one year,” said the psychiatrist. “Come talk to me three times a week and we should be able to get rid of those fears.”
“How much do you charge?”, I said.
“$200 per visit,” replied the expert.
"I'll sleep on it", I said.
Six months later, he met me on the street.
“Why didn't you ever come to see me about those fears you were having?” he asked.
“Well, $200 a visit three times a week for a year is an awful lot of money! A bartender cured me for $20. I was so happy to have saved all that money that I went and bought myself a new car!”
“Is that so?” and with a bit of an attitude he said, “and how, may I ask, did a bartender cure you?"
”He told me to cut the legs off the bed! Ain't nobody under there now!”
Forget those learned doctors and talk to your bartender when you have your next drink.
Greenpeace (edited)
Wkipedia (excerpt)
What is "Greenwashing"?
Greenwashing, also called green sheen, is a form of advertising or marketing spin that deceptively uses green PR and green marketing to persuade the public that an organisation's products, goals, or policies are environmentally friendly. Companies that intentionally adopt greenwashing communication strategies often do so to distance themselves from their environmental lapses or those of their suppliers. Firms engage in greenwashing for two primary reasons: to appear legitimate and to project an image of environmental responsibility to the wider public.
Ever noticed how some companies will proudly talk about being "eco-friendly", ”green” or “sustainable” while their actions tell a different story? This is Greenwashing: making misleading claims about environmental efforts to distract us from what is actually going on. By spotting Greenwashing and saying “no” to companies that do it, we’re taking a step in the right direction as a Sustainability Hero. Follow the tips below on how to spot it and what to do about it:
🕵️ Tip #1: Spot greenwashing
Keep your eye on companies that make bold claims such as how they’re “sustainable”, “green”, or “eco-friendly”. What companies do you buy from that make these claims? Research and see if they actually do walk the talk of sustainability.
♻️ Tip #2: Call out companies for greenwashing
Public pressure is an effective way to expose misleading advertising and send the message that greenwashing won’t cut it. That might mean tagging the company on social media, telling your friends, writing letters to your MP or supporting organisations campaigning against greenwash.
✍️ Tip #3: Sign petitions (or create your own)
We know companies need to do things differently so we need to come together to demand it. You can fuel the resistance by signing petitions or even creating your own to stop negative actions by Greenwashers.
📣 Tip #4: Exposing Misinformation
Misleading consumers isn't allowed in New Zealand – and we reckon Greenwashing is doing exactly that. If you see a company or organisation doing this, report a concern to the Commerce Commission and lodge a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority.
