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C Bavister

Secretary

October Ramblings

Well, the clocks have gone forward and with it the promise of warmer days and less rain. A reminder the winter energy payment that we receive with our superannuation has ceased on October 1st, so a drop in the amount we will receive.

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Our “Meet the Candidates” forums were well attended and all agreed that they were a great success. I hope you have voted, otherwise you cannot complain about the council. The visit by the Green Party spokesperson on Seniors saw a small number of us attend. A very interesting and informative morning that deserved more listeners. The carrot cake was also yummy. The next forum is Sport Bay of Plenty “Keep on Your Feet, Fall Prevention” on Tuesday 21 October.

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The quarterly Grey Power National magazine for September is out. We are receiving 400 copies for our members and community each quarter from the Federation. If you want a hard copy for yourself or your friends please call into the office. Grey Power was also at the Parksyde Positive Aging Expo, great to catch up with many of you. I have to confess as I am aging, I am wondering who that person is in the mirror.

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There is discontent about council going into partnership with Emerge Aotearoa to manage the council pensioner flats. We already had a number of members complaining about the proposed rent increases. Grey Power Rotorua addressed this issue at the last meeting with Mayor Tapsell. Michelle Nahu, President of Grey Power Rotorua, attended a resident's meeting with a couple of councillors in Kahikatea Street last week. Here is her report:

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"The meeting was a discussion on the collaboration via the Council and Emerge Aotearoa. The partnership has flaws and most of the attendee's had not received the draft copy of their new tenancy agreements (which is not a complete copy of the rental agreement).

 

The new rent rates will be applied from 1 February 2026 onwards. The market rent is $350.00 and if they apply this rate many will be suffering due to having to do without other essential items.

 

The two council representatives, Trevor Maxwell and Don Patterson, were the only council members that arrived. Both were unaware of the tragic state of the pensioner homes that many have been living in for 10+ years. To date none of the councillors, apart from the above ones, have been to Kahikatea Street or the other 152 pensioner's homes.

 

I offered support from Grey Power regardless of being a member or not. We are an advocacy organisation for the elderly and will work alongside other services for elders by trying to influence the decision processes towards a more humane way."

Whaimana

Support My Decision

Whaimana Supported Decision Making

Whaimana – Support My Decisions is a new website that helps people support others to make their own choices, large or small. Decision-making can be affected by brain injury, dementia, disability, mental distress, or neurodiversity.

 

Supported decision-making is a human right. A human right is a basic freedom or protection that every person should have simply because they are human. These rights are universal, meaning they apply to everyone, no matter where they live or what their background is.

 

Being ready for supported decision-making is like having a toolkit with lots of tools. You might not need all the tools every time. You can use what you need according to the situation. Supported decision-making will look different depending on the person and the decision. There are some basic steps and ideas though.


Whaimana – Support My Decisions offers practical guides and examples for families, friends, carers, and service providers. Topics include choosing a supporter, gathering information, and focusing on what matters most to the decision-maker. Download a summary poster from HERE.

Developed by Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People with input from the Office for Seniors and a community advisory group, the site promotes supported decision-making as a positive, rights-based approach.

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Editor

Shrey Vazir

GP Tauranga

The #1 Leg-Strengthening Exercise for Over 50s

It is called the Sumo Squat + Heel Raise. Here’s how to do it safely:

  1. Place a sturdy chair in front of you for support if needed.

  2. Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width knees pointing slightly outward.

  3. Lower down slowly, as if sitting back into a chair. Keep your back straight.

  4. As you rise up, lift your heels off the floor.

  5. Lower your heels back down and repeat.

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Here’s a simple tracker you can follow 3x per week:

  • Weeks 1–2: 6-10 reps, 3 sets

  • Weeks 3–4: 8-12 reps, 3 sets

  • Weeks 5–6: 10-14 reps, 3 sets

  • Weeks 7–8: 12-16 reps, 3 sets

  • Weeks 9–10: 14-18 reps, 3 sets

  • Weeks 11–12: 16-20 reps, 3 sets

 

Stick with this, and you’ll notice stronger legs, better balance and more confidence in everyday life.

 

Support our Partners who Support Grey Power

As an organisation we are deeply grateful to those companies who have partnered with us to support us in achieving our mission. As members we need to reward these organisations with our loyalty wherever feasible. Our diverse benefits include:

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  • Every financial member being covered by a $2000 Death and Accidental Death Policy from AIL of New Zealand

  • Up to 12c/litre discount on fuel nationwide with GOfuel Cards

  • New Zealand’s best value hearing aids and ear health from Resonate Health

  • Grey Power Electricity with affordable electricity, broadband, as well as good value car and pet insurance

  • Discounts on Carter's Tyres products and services

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​New partners are joining us from time to time, so check out all current benefits on-line at www.greypower.co.nz/the-benefits.​

 

Confidence - by Brittany Packnett Cunningham

Curiosity invites people to be in charge of their own learning. That exchange, it helped me approach my next project with the expectation of success. 

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Permission, community, curiosity: All of these are the things that we will need to breed the confidence that we'll absolutely need to solve our greatest challenges and to build the world we dream, a world where inequity is ended and where justice is real, a world where we can be free on the outside and free on the inside because we know that none of us are free until all of us are free. 

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A world that isn't intimidated by confidence when it shows up as a woman or in black skin or in anything other than our preferred archetypes of leadership. 

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A world that knows that that kind of confidence is exactly the key we need to unlock the future that we want. I have enough confidence to believe that that world will indeed come to pass, and that we are the ones to make it so.

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