Age-Friendly Community Evaluation -...

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Age-Friendly Community Evaluation Report prepared for the Office for Seniors

Ministry of Social Development

AssociateProfessorStephenNeville

DrJefferyAdams

SaraNapier

KayShannon

May2018

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Executive Summary

TheAucklandUniversityofTechnologyCentreforActiveAgeingwascontractedbythe

Office for Seniors,Ministry of SocialDevelopment [Office for Seniors] to evaluate the

process of implementing age-friendly approaches in Kāpiti Coast District, New

PlymouthandHamilton, also referred toaspilot sites.Theevaluationwas conducted

from November 2017 to May 2018. A variety of data sources were used and these

includedqualitative interviewswithOffice forSeniorsstaff,aswellascommunityand

localcouncilmembersfromthethreepilotsites.

Resultsfromthisevaluationshowthethreepilotsitesutiliseddifferentapproachesand

progressed at different rates in implementing age-friendly programmes. Key success

factorsincludedhaving:

� supportfromtheOfficeforSeniors� localcouncilbuy-in–top-downapproach� strongcommunityengagement–bottom-upapproach� robustcommunityconsultationprocesses� undertakenaneedsassessmentofexistingage-friendlyactivitiesandprojects,and� implementedage-friendlyinitiatives.

EngagementwithMāoricommunities,althoughlimitedwasevidentacrosseachofthe

pilot sites. However, community processes need to be strengthened through

undertaking comprehensive consultationprocesses toensureMāori areappropriately

involvedinanyfutureage-friendlyplanningandimplementationofinitiatives.Minimal

engagementandconsultationwithmigrantcommunitieswasalsoevidentandneedsto

beaddressedmovingforward.

Asa resultof this evaluation, thereare several initiatives theOffice forSeniors could

considerdeveloping thatwould supportexisting communitiesand those communities

interested in becoming age-friendly. Firstly, the development of a toolkit to support

communities to become age-friendly. Secondly, foster the development of positive

working relationships between local councils and communities. Thirdly, provide

guidance to communities on mechanisms for engaging with Māori and migrant

communities. Finally, undertake an educative role to ensure central and local

governmentandcommunitiesunderstandwhatage-friendlymeans.

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Contents

Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................6

1. Background.....................................................................................................................................................6

2. Methodology...................................................................................................................................................8

2.1Overview.......................................................................................................................................................8

2.1.1Evaluationquestions......................................................................................................................8

2.1.2Evaluationprocess..........................................................................................................................9

2.2Ethicalapproval......................................................................................................................................11

3. Results............................................................................................................................................................11

3.1OfficeforSeniors....................................................................................................................................11

3.1.1Howitstarted................................................................................................................................11

3.1.2Howthepilotsiteswerechosen............................................................................................12

3.2Wherethepilotcommunitiesareatnow...................................................................................12

3.2.1KāpitiCoastDistrict.....................................................................................................................12

3.2.2NewPlymouth................................................................................................................................12

3.2.3Hamilton............................................................................................................................................13

3.3Whatprocesseswereusedtoinitiateanage-friendlyapproachineachofthesites

(includingtop-down/bottom-up)?....................................................................................................13


3.3.2NewPlymouth..............................................................................................................................14

3.3.3Hamilton............................................................................................................................................15

3.4Whatprocesseswereundertakentoassesscommunityneedsineachpilotsite?16


3.4.2NewPlymouth................................................................................................................................17

3.4.3Hamilton............................................................................................................................................18

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3.5Towhatextenthave communitiesbeen engagedwith ineachage-friendlypilot

site?......................................................................................................................................................................19


3.5.2NewPlymouth................................................................................................................................19

3.5.3Hamilton............................................................................................................................................20

3.6TowhatextenthaveMāoriandmigrantcommunitiesbeenengagedwithineach

age-friendlypilot?.........................................................................................................................................21


3.6.2NewPlymouth...............................................................................................................................22

3.6.3Hamilton...........................................................................................................................................23

3.7Whatage-friendlyactivitieshavebeen initiated ineachpilotsite(activities that

havehappened)?............................................................................................................................................24


3.7.2NewPlymouth................................................................................................................................25

3.7.3Hamilton............................................................................................................................................26

3.8Whatage-friendlyprojectsareplannedforthefutureineachpilotsite?.................27


3.8.2NewPlymouth................................................................................................................................27

3.8.3Hamilton............................................................................................................................................28

3.9Whataretheenablerstoinitiatingage-friendlyprogrammes/activities?................29

3.9.1Centralgovernmentsupport...................................................................................................29

3.9.2Localcouncilsupport..................................................................................................................29

3.9.3Acommittedsteeringgroup....................................................................................................30

3.9.4Communityengagement............................................................................................................31

3.9.5Awareness........................................................................................................................................31

3.9.6Strengths-basedsustainability...............................................................................................32

3.10Whatarethebarrierstoinitiatingage-friendlyprogrammes/activities?..............33

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3.10.1Lackofsupportfromcentralgovernment.....................................................................33

3.10.2Lackofsupportfromlocalcouncils...................................................................................34

3.10.3Difficultiesgettingstarted....................................................................................................34

3.10.4Lackofwidercommunityengagement...........................................................................35

3.10.5Ageistattitudes............................................................................................................................35

4. Discussion.....................................................................................................................................................36

4.1Keysuccessfactors...............................................................................................................................36

4.1.1Atop-downapproach.................................................................................................................36

4.1.2Localgovernmentbuy-in..........................................................................................................37

4.1.3Abottom-upapproach...............................................................................................................37

4.1.4Communityconsultation...........................................................................................................37

4.1.5Gettingtractionwithmanageableprojects......................................................................38

4.2Howbi-culturalvaluesareincorporated...................................................................................38

4.3Engagementwithmigrantgroups.................................................................................................39

4.4RoleoftheOfficeforSeniors............................................................................................................39

Criticalsuccessfactorsarewhen:..............................................................................................................39

References..............................................................................................................................................................41

List of Tables

Table1:Interviewschedule..........................................................................................................................10

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Introduction

1. BackgroundAdvancing age-friendly communities has become a priority for governments

internationallyandinNewZealandinresponsetotheageingpopulationandageingin

placepolicies(AssociateMinisterofHealth,2016;Buffel,Phillipson,&Scharf,2012).It

isestimatedthatby2036,between21%and24%ofthepopulationinNewZealandwill

be aged 65 years and over (Bascand & Dunstan, 2014). Previous research indicates

older people prefer to age in communities that are familiar to them (Wiles, Leibing,

Guberman,Reeve,&Allen,2011).However,ageinginplacerequirescommunitiestobe

age-friendlyandthereforeappropriateplaces forolderpeopleto live(Neville,Napier,

Adams,Wham,&Jackson,2016).

TheWorldHealthOrganisation(WHO)launchedtheGlobalAge-FriendlyCities:AGuide

in2007followingamajorcoordinatedresearchprojectundertakenin33citiesacross

22 countries. Eight themes, identified from consultation with older people and

communityrepresentatives,werefoundtobeessentialforanage-friendlycity:outdoor

spaces and buildings; transportation; housing; social participation; respect and social

inclusion; civic participation and employment; communication and information; and

communitysupportandhealthservices(Plouffe&Kalache,2011).

The age-friendly cities concept built on theWHO’s active ageing framework (World

Health Organization, 2007b). Following adoption of the term “active ageing” at the

UnitedNations InternationalYearofOlderPersons in1999, theWHOlaunchedActive

Ageing–APolicyFrameworkasacontributiontothe2002SecondWorldAssemblyon

Ageing (WorldHealthOrganization,2002).Activeageing isdefinedas “theprocessof

optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance

qualityoflifeaspeopleage”(WorldHealthOrganization,2002,p.12).

SincereleaseoftheGlobalAge-FriendlyCities:AGuidein2007theChecklistofEssential

FeaturesofAge-FriendlyCitieshasbeendevelopedtoassistcommunitiestoassesstheir

age-friendliness and monitor progress. The checklist was designed to include older

people as full partners in its administration (WorldHealthOrganization,2007a). The

age-friendly framework and checklist was later adapted for use in rural and remote

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communities. Subsequently, the termage-friendly citiesandcommunitieshasbecome

morewidelyusedinrecognitionofthediversityofplacesolderpeopleagein(Plouffe&

Kalache,2011).

Internationally, an increasing number of cities and communities have started to

implementage-friendlyprogrammes to create supportiveenvironments thatpromote

respect, inclusion, empowerment and participation for older people. Since 2007, in

excessof500citiesandcommunities throughout37 countrieshave joined theGlobal

Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. The Network was established to

encourage sharing of experience and learning between cities and communities

worldwide(WorldHealthOrganization,nd).

NewZealandrespondedtotheWHOcalltoactionpromotedbytheactiveageingtheme

with theNew Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy (NZPAS) in 2001 following extensive

consultation with the older population. The NZPAS provided 10 goals addressing a

comprehensiverangeofphysicalandsocialdeterminantsundertheheadings:income;

health; housing; transport; ageing in place; cultural diversity; rural; attitudes;

employment;andopportunities(Dalziel,2001).The2014ReportonthePositiveAgeing

Strategyreportedonprogressinmeetingthe10goals(OfficeforSeniorCitizens,2014).

TheHealthofOlderPeopleStrategy(HOPS)wasdevelopedin2002tocomplementthe

NZPAS as a guide for District Health Boards in providing an integrated approach to

healthanddisability service forolderpeople (MinistryofHealth,2002). In2016, the

HOPS was revised and rebranded as the Healthy Ageing Strategy. The rebranded

strategyhasanincreasedfocusonhealthandwellbeingandrecognisesthatpeopleage

in different ways. In line with the WHO’s age-friendly cities and communities, the

HealthyAgeingStrategyvisionstatementis:“Olderpeoplelivewell,agewellandhavea

respectfulendoflifeinage-friendlycommunities”(AssociateMinisterofHealth,2016,

p.16).

Akey focus for theOffice forSeniors is ensuringall communities inNewZealandare

age-friendly. Frommid-2015 the Office for Seniors has been working in partnership

with three pilot communities to implement the WHO age-friendly cities and

communitiesframework.ThethreepilotsitesKāpitiCoastDistrict,NewPlymouthand

Hamilton have undertaken different approaches to the implementation of the age-

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friendly framework including the process for engaging with their respective

communitiesandprioritisinginitiatives.

Auckland University of Technology Centre for Active Ageing was contracted by the

OfficeforSeniorstoundertakeanevaluationoftheprocessesutilisedbythethreepilot

sites in implementing the age-friendly cities and communities framework. The

evaluationwasconductedfromNovember2017toMay2018.

2. Methodology

2.1 Overview

The aim of this evaluationwas to describe the process of implementing age-friendly

approaches inHamilton, Kāpiti CoastDistrict andNewPlymouth. The evaluationwill

providetheOfficeforSeniorswithfoundationalempiricaldatathatwillsupportfuture

age-friendlyinitiativesbothwithinthethreepilotsitesaswellasinothercommunities

inNewZealand.

This process evaluation used a case study approach to provide a descriptive

understanding of the implementation of age-friendly programmes inHamilton,Kāpiti

CoastDistrictandNewPlymouth.Aparticipatoryapproachwasdeployedandinvolved

active collaboration with, and input from key stakeholders in the design,

implementationandinterpretationofallaspectsoftheevaluationprocess.Specifically,

thestakeholdersandevaluatorsjointlydevelopedtheresearchquestionsanddiscussed

the results at a sense-making session. A further strength of this evaluation was the

triangulation of data sets using data from relevant documents from the Office for

Seniorsandthethreepilotsites,alongwiththeinterviewdata.

2.1.1 EvaluationQuestions

Fivemainevaluationquestionsweredevelopedfortheevaluationinconsultationwith

theOfficeforSeniorsandthecommunities.

� Whatprocesseswereusedtoinitiateanage-friendlyapproachineachofthesites,includingtop-down/bottom-up?

▪ Whatprocesseswereundertakentoassesscommunityneedsineachpilotsite?

▪ Towhatextenthavecommunitiesbeenengagedwithineachage-friendlypilotsite?

▪ TowhatextenthaveMāoriandmigrantcommunitiesbeenengagedwithineachage-friendlypilot?

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� Whatage-friendlyactivitieshavebeeninitiatedineachpilotsite(activitiesthathavehappened)?

� Whatage-friendlyprojectsareplannedforthefutureineachpilotsite?� Whataretheenablerstoinitiatingage-friendlyprogrammes/activities?� Whatarethebarrierstoinitiatingage-friendlyprogrammes/activities?

2.1.2 Evaluationprocess

a) DevelopmentoftheevaluationframeworkThe principal investigator met with the Office for Seniors to refine the scope of theevaluationandguidedevelopmentofanevaluationframeworkthatinformedtheevaluationprocess.

b) Theprincipalinvestigatorheldmeetingswithkeystakeholderstoconfirmthefocusoftheevaluation.

c) DatacollectionDatacollectionsourceswereguidedbysuggestionsfrommeetingswithkeystakeholdersandconsistedof:

� documentreview(OfficeforSeniors,localgovernmentplanningdocuments,meetingminutesofthegroupsandpublicallyaccessibleinformation),and

� qualitativesemi-structuredinterviewswithkeystakeholderstocollectdatarelevanttotheresearchquestions(seetable1)

Table 1: Interview schedule

Stakeholder group Number of participants

OfficeforSeniors 4

Hamilton

� HamiltonCityCouncil

� Age-friendlySteeringGroup

� Communityrepresentative

1

2

3

KāpitiCoastDistrict

� KāpitiCoastDistrictCouncil

1

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2

3

NewPlymouth

� NewPlymouthCouncil



1

2

3

Totalnumberofparticipants 22

d) Dataanalysis

Analysisofkeydocuments:

� Theprincipalinvestigatorandkeystakeholdersidentifieddocumentsthat

wereconsideredrelevanttotheresearchquestions.Adatacollectionform

wasdevelopedtosummarisethedatafromthedocumentreviews.

Analysisofinterviewdata:

� Theinterviewswererecordedandtranscribedverbatim.Thedatawas

analysedusingageneralinductiveapproachwhichisanappropriate

methodtoestablishclearlinksbetweentheevaluationquestionsanddata

(Thomas,2006).Thetranscriptswereread,discussedandanalysedbyall

membersoftheevaluationteam.Dataanalysiscontinuedwhenthemain

findingswerepresentedanddiscussedwithkeystakeholdersatasense-

makingsessiontoinformtherecommendationsforthefuture

developmentofage-friendlycommunities.

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2.2 Ethicalapproval

This evaluation project was reviewed and approved by Auckland University of

TechnologyEthicsCommittee(AUTEC)on1December2017;approvalnumber:AUTEC

17/404 Evaluating age-friendly community initiatives. All participants gave informed

consent.

3. ResultsRelevantdatacollectedduringtheevaluationarepresentedinthissectionandusedto

providedirectanswerstotheevaluationquestions.Datasourcesarederivedfromkey

documents provided to the evaluation team and data excerpts from interviews

undertaken. Illustrative participant quotes are presented in italics. The first section

providesasummaryofhowtheAgeFriendlyCitiesandCommunities(AFCC)initiative

beganatcentralgovernment leveland intheKāpitiCoastDistrict,NewPlymouthand

Hamilton communities. Data was sourced for this section from the analysis of key

documentsandfrominterviewedparticipants.

3. OfficeforSeniors

3.1.1 Howitstarted

In 2012 theOffice for Seniors began supporting a community-initiated and -led pilot

project called Napier Connects. The purpose of this project was to address social

isolationamongolderpeopleandfocusedondevelopingvolunteerandothernetworks

tostrengthensocialconnectedness.OutofthisprojectcametheideatoaligntheNapier

Connects initiative with the WHO Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and

Communitiesframework.

SarahClarkwastheDirectoroftheOfficeforSeniorsfromearly2014.Atthebeginning

of her tenure, Sarah started a review of the New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy

(2001). This process included organising a framework bringing together all of the

variousAFCC strands that could lead to the development of a uniquelyNewZealand

version of AFCC. Coinciding with this project, a member of the Kāpiti Coast District

Older People’s Council, Jill Stansfield, raised the idea of introducing the AFCC

programmeinKāpitiCoastDistrictwithSarahClark.

ThedevelopmentofanAFCCframeworkandfocuswasappealingasitresonatedwith

howcommunitieswerecurrentlyrespondingtoageingissues.During2014,SarahClark

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began to incorporate the AFCC framework into strategic planning documents for the

Office for Seniors. In September 2014 a new Minister for Senior Citizens came into

office. This Minister supported the continued development of an AFCC framework

incorporatinganetworkofage-friendlycommunitiesthroughoutNewZealand.

3.1.2 Howthepilotsiteswerechosen

Theselectionofpilot siteswasapragmatic andorganicprocess thatdeveloped from

two Office for Seniors staff engaging with different community groups around the

country.The intentionwastohaveasocio-culturallydiversemixofcommunitieswho

utiliseddifferentapproachestodevelopingAFCC.Further,communitiesthatweremost

interested and had mechanisms and beginning projects in place were favoured.

Consequently,KāpitiCoastDistrict,NewPlymouthandHamiltonwereapproached to

potentially become AFCC pilot communities. Additionally, having an Older Person’s

CouncilorpositiveageinggroupsinplacewerebelievedbytheOfficeforSeniorstobe

integraltoadvancingage-friendlyinitiatives.

3.2 Wherethepilotcommunitiesareatnow

Thethreepilotcommunitieshaveallhadquitedifferentapproachesandexperiencesto

initiatinganage-friendlyframeworkintheircommunitiesandassuchhaveprogressed

atdifferentrates.

3.2.1 KāpitiCoastDistrict

The Kāpiti Coast District Council (KCDC) has included a commitment to being age-

friendly in their longtermplan.TheKāpitiCoastDistrictAge-FriendlySteeringGroup

undertookaneedsassessmentsurveyin2016.Anage-friendlystrategyorplanisyetto

be developed. Instead, Kāpiti Coast District has focused on the business sector,

developinganage-friendlycustomerchoicebusinessawardaspartoftheElectraKāpiti

Horowhenua Business Awards. The customer choice award is a section of thewider

business programme developed to acknowledge businesses that provide age-friendly

productsandservices.Itisintendedthatbusinesseswillberecognisedandcommended

aspartofalocalaccreditationprocess.

3.2.2 NewPlymouth

NewPlymouthAge-FriendlySteeringGrouphasdeveloped their age-friendly strategy

whichwaspresentedtotheNewPlymouthDistrictCouncil (NPDC) inFebruary2018.

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The Steering Group took the draft strategy document to the local community and

community boards across the region and rural areas. This consultative process was

valuabletotesttheirideasandtoraiseawarenessacrosstheregion.Thestrategywill

informthecouncil’slongtermplanandthecouncilwillbeaskedtoendorsethestrategy

andsupporttheapplicationformembershiptotheWHOAFCCNetwork(Age-Friendly

NewPlymouthStrategy,2017).

3.2.3 Hamilton

Hamilton Age-Friendly Steering Group presented their age-friendly strategic plan to

HamiltonCityCouncil(HCC)inNovember2017(Planandprocessforbecomingamore

age-friendlycity,2018-2021:ForpresentationtotheWorldHealthOrganization,2017).

InFebruary2018,anapplicationwaslodgedwiththeWHOforconsiderationtojointhe

Age-Friendly Global Network. The application process involves a review of the age-

friendly plan by a regional expert based in Melbourne. Additionally, the plan is

accompanied by a letter from the Hamilton City Mayor. Some members of the Age-

FriendlySteeringGrouphave indicatedtheir interest insittingonthe implementation

groupthatwilloverseethenextstageintheprocessandwillreporttotheHCC.

3.3 Whatprocesseswereusedtoinitiateanage-friendlyapproachineachofthesites(includingtop-down/bottom-up)?


Kāpiti Coast District was an early adopter of the age-friendly framework and is an

exampleofapredominantlycommunity-drivenorbottom-upapproach.

I found out about this inMelbourne.When I came back home toNew Zealand IwenttotheMinistryofSocialDevelopmentandsaidIwasreallyconcernedforthefuture and that we needed to be planning more positively to cope with thedemographicchange[increaseinthenumberofolderadults].ThepersonIspoketoaboutitjustlookedatmeandsaid“Iagreecompletely”.NowI’mgoingtosendyouto the Office for Seniors because that’s the avenue you need to take. (KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

An Older Person’s Council, an advisory group to KCDC, already existed. A group of

community-basedpeoplemadesubmissionstoKCDCtoensureage-friendlypolicywas

evident in the council’s long term plan which was successful and resulted in the

formationoftheKāpitiAge-FriendlySteeringGroup.Membershipofthisgroupincludes

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representation from local council, key community groups and interestedmembers of

thecommunity.

Gettingbuy-infromlocalgovernmenthasbeenrecognisedininternationalage-friendly

initiatives as important for capacity building and sustainability (Menec, Novek,

Veselyuk,&McArthur,2014).Thisincludeshavingastrongcommunityvoicetoensure

age-friendly issues become part of the councils’ list of priorities. However, from the

KCDC perspective, there has been a loss of momentum in getting some age-friendly

initiativesupandrunning.

… there hasn’t been a whole lot of action on the ground recently [communityengagement].Thecouncilfromourperspectiveiswantingtosupportage-friendlyinitiatives.Wearewaitingforthecommunity-ledstufftohappenwithoursupport.There’salsotheviewthatthecouncilneedstoadoptanage-friendlystrategywhichisabsolutelycorrect.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

The difficulty for community groups working from the bottom-up was keeping the

momentumgoing.Communitygroupsreliedonpeopletovolunteertheirtimeandoften

had minimal resources. Further, a lack of strategic focus and a number of personal

agendasdemotivatedmembers.

… I withdrew from the group just simply because of the time and I guess thedirection. Itwas going nowhere as far as Iwas concerned. It becamemore of avenue I think for people to be able to link personal problems they were havingthrough either a disability group or some group and that became the focus atmeetings with little concern for the bigger picture. (Kāpiti Steering Groupmember)

Morerecently,theSteeringGrouphasinvitedinputfromtheKCDC.

Originally theydecided theydidn’twant any influenceorany council staff there.Theywantedtodevelopitbythemselves.Andthenlateron,maybeearlierthisyearorlatelastyeartheychangedtheirmindandactuallydecidedweneedtodothiswithcouncil.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

3.3.2 NewPlymouth

New Plymouth started on the age-friendly pathway when Jillian Noble from Age

Concernsuggestedthat theNewPlymouthPositiveAgeingTrust(NPPAT)explorethe

WHO age-friendly framework in early 2015. Subsequently, Jillian Noble and Lance

Girling Butcher from NPPAT visited Taranaki’s three mayors, the Regional Council

chairman and Taranaki District Health Board to assess interest. Following this

consultativeprocess, itwassuggestedthatNewPlymouth,as the largestdistrict,seek

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registration. Later in 2015, a proposal was submitted to the NPDC to become age-

friendlywhichwasaccepted.

TheChairpersonof theNPPAThadbeena localcouncillorsohadastrongconnection

with both the community and the local council. The challenges and opportunities

presentedbytheageingpopulationcametothechairperson’sattentionwhilehewasa

councillorontheNPDC.

I’m not sure howmany years ago, about five or six I think, theHastingsDistrictCouncilheldatwo-dayseminaronthiswholequestionandinvitedatoplinegroupof speakers. They were economists, people with experience in demographics,leadersinthecommunity…Iwasawareofthepotentialdifficultieswecouldfacewiththisbabyboomergenerationgoingthrough,thisreallybroughtithometome.IwasthenacouncillorontheNewPlymouthDistrictCouncilandIattendedwithoneoftheCommunityandDevelopmentteamwhosubsequentlycametoleadthatteamandwecamebackandbeganalittlecampaignofourownamongstthestaffand electedmembers sayingwe need to do some detailed planning of this or itcouldoverwhelmus.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

TheChairperson’scouncilconnectionscontributedtobuy-infromthecouncil.

I think the real driver behind this work itself was a former councillor andcommunitymemberwho has been active in our area, Lance Girling Butcher. Heapproachedcouncilaboutthreetofouryearsagoandaskedthemtoworkonthis[becoming age-friendly] and the council approved and it became part of theirwork.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

TheNewPlymouthAge-Friendly SteeringGroupwas formed in 2015 and chaired by

LanceGirlingButcherwhowasalsochairoftheNPPAT.TheSteeringGrouphadarange

of expertise including representation from Age Concern, Taranaki Disabilities

InformationCentre,TaranakiDistrictHealthBoardandNPDCCommunityDevelopment

Officer.Theaimof theSteeringGroupwastoultimatelysubmitanapplicationto join

theWHOAge-FriendlyGlobalNetwork.

3.3.3 Hamilton

TheAdvisoryPanelonOlderPeoplewasinauguratedin2014toprovideadvicetothe

HCConvariouspoliciesandstrategiesthatwerebeingdevelopedtoenhancethecityfor

older people. The Advisory Panel on Older People comprised of approximately 12

community-basedpeoplewithaninterestinageingissuesintheHamiltonarea.InJune

2015,theOlderPerson’sPlan(2015),developedbytheAdvisoryPanelonOlderPeople

was adopted by the HCC. In May 2016 the Advisory Panel on Older People

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recommendedtotheHCCthatthecityjointheWHOGlobalNetwork.Thecouncilgave

theadvisorypanelthego-aheadandin2016theHamiltonAge-FriendlySteeringGroup

was formed. From September 2016 to March 2017, consultation with community

groupsandsupportagencieswasundertakenacrossthecity.Theage-friendlyplanwas

draftedandfinalisedandinNovember2017itwaspresentedtotheHCC.Subsequently,

theplanwaspresentedtoWHOinFebruary2018.

This age-friendly plan process was strongly supported by the HCC. Nick Chester

representedthecouncilasapolicyandadministrativeofficer.

Thecouncilgavetheirblessingjusttogoaheadandformasteeringgroup,sowestart putting together an age-friendly plan. We’re now on the road ... that wasabout 18months almost two years ago. I’ve been there tomake sure that eventhoughit’sacommunity-ledplanandwe’veemphasisedthatreally,reallyclearly,ithas had really good guidance and support from council all the way through.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

TheSteeringGroupcomprisedofpeoplewithexpertiseandspecificskillsratherthan

representingparticularcommunitygroups.Essentially,theywerehand-picked.

...wetackledthatbygettingtogetheragroupofprettyhighpoweredexpertsinthecityIsuppose.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Puttingtogethertheage-friendlyplaninvolvedwideconsultationwiththecommunity.

... our goal was to develop a plan that would meet the criteria outlined by theWorldHealthOrganisation,whichisverybroad.Thereareanumberofwaysyoucando it, butdevelopinganall encompassing communityplan seemed tobe themost straightforward way. So we went through the process of talking to thecommunityandallthecommunitygroupsandagenciestostartpullingtogetheraplan.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

3.4 Whatprocesseswereundertakentoassesscommunityneedsineachpilotsite?

Eachpilotsiteundertookdifferentprocessestoassesscommunityneeds.Engagingwith

the community is a key first step in the community needs assessment process. This

means a diverse range of older people should be accessed to ensure their views are

represented. There is a risk of politically motivated groups whose views are not

representativeofthewidercommunitysettingtheage-friendlyagenda.

Proactively seeking out and listening to all the voices of older people is veryimportant. It is a challenge to frame up the conversation in such away thatweengage and get meaningful feedback. Not to say that there aren’t pockets of

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excellence.Ithinkcommunityengagementandtheirviewsaboutwhattheythinktheircommunityneedsare,shouldbemeasuredbypeoplefeelingthatthey’vebeenlistenedtoandthedecisionsmadearereflectiveoftheirviews.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)


TheKāpitiDistrict Coast Age-Friendly SteeringGroup had somedifficulty getting the

needsassessmentprocessunderway.

Well in my opinion, none of that has happened. However, we did hold a forumwhere theWorldHealthOrganisation’s checklist forage-friendly citieswereputup, thedeterminantswere listedandpeople could choose theareas they thoughtwere likely tobemost important to them.Transport emerged tobe theone thatwasmostcriticaltoourcommunity.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

Someneedsassessmentworkwasundertakenbutwasnotprogressed.

Idon’tthinkithadgotanywhere.Therewasasurveythatwassupposedtogoouttothecommunitywithawholelistofquestionsaroundwhattheywantedtoseeorhowtheywantedtoengage.Idon’tthinkiteverwentanywhere…therehasbeenalotof talkaroundwhatcanbedonebut therehasn’tbeena lotofaction.(Kāpiticommunitymember)

3.4.2 NewPlymouth

Theimportanceofgettingsomeexpertisetohelpdevelopanage-friendlystrategywas

recognisedbytheNewPlymouthAge-FriendlySteeringGroup.In2017,NewPlymouth

securedfundingthroughtheOfficeforSeniorstocommissionaresearchertoundertake

aneedsassessmentprojectandassistwithdevelopingtheage-friendlystrategybased

on the WHO eight domains. A success factor was having expertise of a professional

researcherandstrategisttoundertakeaneedsassessmentofthecommunity.

Wemanaged to get a $40,000 grant from the Office for Seniors and appointedLouise Tester,whowas an experienced policy and strategist andworked for thecouncil but was now out working independently and launched an intensivedevelopment programme for the strategy. (New Plymouth Steering Groupmember)

Theresearchprojectincludedanonlinequestionnairetogainpeople’sviewsonarange

of issues. Further, the researcher undertook interviews with approximately 30

individualsfromthecommunity.

…weconductedasurveywhicharound80peoplecompleted… inparallel to thesurvey we undertook a number of key informal interviews. We had 25conversationswith key stakeholders then, in addition to that,we had about five

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what you call network conversations or stakeholder workshops with groups ofpeople who had a particular interest like Age Concern, the council, Grey Power,PositiveAgeingNetworkandTaranakiDistrictHealthBoard.Theninadditionweinterviewedseveralcommunityboards,aswellasthedisabilityworkgroup.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember).

The findings from this research projectwere summarised and presented to an open

forum that includedmembers of the community, theMayor, two councillors and two

healthboardmemberspluscommunitydevelopmentleaders.

New Plymouth had essentially a community event at the local council chamberwherethecommunitywereall invitedtocomealongandtalkaboutage-friendlyandwhatthey’dliketosee.Welearntalotfromthat,andactuallyMinisterBarrycamealongandspokeandwehadsomekeypeopleinthecommunitytalkingaboutage-friendly.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)

3.4.3 Hamilton

In Hamilton the views of older peoplewere sought atmulti-sectoral fora to find out

what was available and to identify needs. These fora had the additional purpose of

raisingawarenessofage-friendliness.

… there were a 100, 150 people who came along including the local men’sparliament,thecitycouncillors,thenewlyelectedmayorandtwomorecouncillorshavealso comealong.Wealsohadanentirebusload fromPresbyterianSupportEnlivenCentre taking their time togetoff thebusbecause theyhadwheelchairsandwalkingsticks.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Community needs assessment also included discussions with agencies and supportservices.

…wedidalotofworktalkingtopartsofthecommunity.Thenwealsodidquiteabitofworkwithagenciesthatdeliveredservices.Sowedidabigsessionthistimelastyearaboutwhattheseagencieswouldliketoseeandwhattheycoulddoandtheideaofstartingtogetthemtocollaborateondifferentprojects.Sowetriedtocoveritfromanumberofdifferentbases.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Theneedsassessmentprocesswasforward-lookingintermsoffindingoutwhatwould

improvethequalityofthecityforolderpeople.

We have been looking at what needs to happen to improve the accessibility oravailabilityortheimplementationofnewactivitiesandservicesfortheolderagegroup.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

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3.5 Towhatextenthavecommunitiesbeenengagedwithineachage-friendlypilotsite?


Raising awareness of the age-friendly movement was identified as an early step in

engagingtheKāpitiCoastDistrictcommunityonageingissues.

I guess at a community level what’s important is what’s getting done on theground. That’s important to people whether or not it’s a World HealthOrganisationthingoracommunitything.SoIthinkthelabel,becauseitsitsunderWHO,isimportantbutnotnecessarilywellunderstoodatthegroundlevel(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember).

The community were active around key issues related to being age-friendly such as

transport and health: however, it was not clear what processes were undertaken to

engagewiththecommunity.

Health and the transport are big issues for us up here too because we have apetitiongoingat themomentaroundhavingahospitaluphere. It’sprobablynotgoingtohappenforalongtimebutwithapopulationof50,000it’squiteawaytotraveltoKerepuruandWellington.(Kāpiticommunitymember)

Therehadbeenamorereactiveratherthanproactiveapproachtoidentifyingneedsin

thecommunity.

Oneof ourmembershasworkedupan interviewplan for a survey and IbelievethatsheistalkingtotheOfficeforSeniorCitizensaboutfunding.Wherethat’sgottoatthemomentIdon’tknow…theneedsofpeoplearereallybeingassessedbycomplaints thathavebeen receivedbyAgeConcernandGreyPower.GreyPowerhasabout4000memberssoit’safairlybigorganisationandpeopleknowtocometousiftheyhaveproblemsinthatarea.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

Raisingawarenesswitharegularradioandlocalnewspapercolumnwasoneinitiative

thiscommunityundertook.

IalsodoamonthlycolumninoneofthetwolocalnewspapersandIdotwothreeminutebroadcastseachmonthwiththecommunityradiohere.Theseopportunitiesarealwaysallaroundage-friendly.StrangelyenoughIdohavesomepeoplewhotellmetheyhaveeitherreadaboutitinthenewspaperorhearditontheradio.Sosomewhere along the line I must be doing something that trickles through topeople’sconsciousness.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

3.5.2 NewPlymouth

TheAge-FriendlyNewPlymouthStrategythatsetsoutthe10-yearplanwasinformed

bycommunityengagementandaneedsassessmentprocessthatwasundertaken.

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In developing the New Plymouth Age-friendly Strategy, a suite of communityengagementstookplacetounderstandtheperceptionsandbeliefsofpeopleinthecommunity.Theobjectiveof theNewPlymouthAge-FriendlyStrategywasnot toconduct an audit of what services and supports organisations may or not beproviding for people as they age. It was intended to elicit meaning andunderstanding and promote conversation and awareness among the communitythat can lead to new and different and improved responses to an ageingcommunity.(Age-FriendlyNewPlymouthStrategy,2017,p.4)

Community engagement included the data collected for the research project and the

consultationprocessthatoccurredwhenthedraftstrategydocumentwaspresentedto

thecommunity.

…[thedraftstrategydocumentwas]veryeffectiveinengagingpeople.Weputonaneventonaweekendwherewepresentedthedraftstrategytopeopleandthenwe didworkshops. Sowewould have 50-60 people attend andwe broke up intogroupsandeveryonehadalook.Ithinktheyhadtheopportunitytolookattwooftheareaseach.Sowediscussedtheseandpost-itnoteswereused.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

To increaseawarenessof theage-friendlyprocessandengagingwith the community,

variousmediachannelswereused.

Weusedcouncil’sexternalcommunicationchannelslikeFacebookandthecouncilwebsite and then other steering group members in the organisations put it outthroughtheirnetworks.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

Toensuretheviewsandneeds fromtheruralcommunitywere included,membersof

the council’s community development team, visited the districts’ four community

boards.ThefinalstrategywasthenpresentedtotheNewPlymouthDistrictCouncilfor

consideration.

3.5.3 Hamilton

The age-friendly strategic plan provides extensive feedback from the community

engagement that theHamiltonAge-Friendly SteeringGroup undertook in 2016-2017.

Thisfeedbackisarrangedundertheeightdomainsoftheage-friendlyframework.The

followinggroups,agenciesandserviceswerepartofthecommunityconsultation:

• OlderPersonsOpenForum–7November2016;• ChineseGoldenAgeSociety–23November2016;• ParticipantsofEnlivendayprogrammes–17February2017,and6,14and22

June2017;• RauawaawaKaumātuaCharitableTrust–6March2017;• HamiltonRefugeeandMigrantCommunities–6March2017;and

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• TamahereEventideRestHome–8March2017.(Plan and process for becoming a more age-friendly city, 2018-2021: ForpresentationtotheWorldHealthOrganization,2017).

TheSteeringGroupconsultedwidelyandheldseveralopenforaforolderpeople.This

processwasimportantforsharinginformationaboutwhatthecityislikeasaplaceto

liveforolderpeople.Italsohighlightedthecontinuousimprovementprocessoftheage-

friendlyframework.

Oneofthereallykeymessageswereceivedwasthatthecityhasgota lotofservicesand facilities thatareavailable forolderpeople.But in termsof thatawarenessandunderstandingwhat’soutthere,wedon’tdoagreatjob.Thecitydoesn’tdoagreatjobof promoting themselves as a good place for older people… I thinkwe’re definitelyalongthepathalittlebitmorenowbutit’sdefinitelygoingtobeanevolvingstory.Soit’s definitelyawork inprogress. I thinkwe’re inamuchbetterplace thanweweremaybeayearago.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

3.6 TowhatextenthaveMāoriandmigrantcommunitiesbeenengagedwithineachage-friendlypilot?

TheOffice forSeniorsrecognised theopportunity todevelopauniquelyNewZealand

AFCCapproachwithabi-culturalfocusthatwasresponsivetodemographicchangeand

an ageing Māori population. In applying the AFCC framework in a Māori context,

engagement with Māori needs to be genuine and in good faith in recognition of the

Treaty ofWaitangi. Although each pilot site had some engagementwithMāori, there

wasnotastrongiwirepresentationontheSteeringGroups.Equally,opportunitiesfor

engagingwithmigrantcommunitiesneedsfurtherworkandcommittment.


There was an awareness of the need to work with iwi because of the high Māori

population intheŌtakiregion. Intheearlystagesof theAFCCprojectsomeworkhad

been undertaken engagingwithMāori. However, participants identified that this had

notbeensustained.

Whenwe first started going down this journeyof age-friendly,we commissionedsome work which included working with and understanding Kaumātua and adifferent value base I guess between indigenous Māori and other mainstreamcommunities. We recognised the steering group and older persons council was100% non-Māori, and that was not a reflection of our community. We needstrongerMāorirepresentationgoingforward.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

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There was acknowledgement of the challenges associated with engaging with Māori

that related to the three different iwi and the geographical location of the sub

communities.

Well, our community has three iwi and ourMāori community as awhole find itdifficulttoengagewitheachother.There’salotofurbanMāorithatliveinKāpitiandso it’sveryhardto findawaytoengagewithMāoriasawhole. In theŌtakicommunity, there’s a high percentage of Māori living there … but it is quite aunique situationwith Ōtaki being on the edge of the Kāpiti. Historically they’vealways kept to themselves and want services particularly for them. (Kāpiticommunitymember)

Most of the participants agreed that there has been little engagement with migrant

groupsandtherewasaneedformoreinclusiveengagement.

Asweprogresswedefinitelyneedtoworkoutawaytoengagewiththedifferentmigrant groups that live in our area so we are more inclusive and can beresponsivetothosegroup’sneeds.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

3.6.2 NewPlymouth

Although there was some engagement with Māori participants in the age-friendly

projectintheNewPlymoutharea,Māoriwerenotgivenpriorityoverothergroups.

We undertook some Māori based hui but most were undertaken with generalcommunitygroups.Wedidn’tcollectdemographicinformationbutIdoknowsomeofthoseindividualsidentifiedasMāori.Iwouldhavetosayoverallwetookabroadcommunitybasedprocess.(NewPlymouthcommunitymember)

Communitybasedpeoplewereinterviewedaspartoftheneedsassessmentprojectand

somehadconnectionswithMāoricommunities.

I’m involved in some aspects of the Māori community. In Taranaki we’ve eightdifferentiwi,sotheentityI’minvolvedinMahiaMai[communitysupportservice],we’re based inWaitara. The reality is, it touches really only on one or two iwibecauseofthegeographicallocalityofit…theothersixarenotinvolvedatall.SoIhavetobecarefulaboutoverstatingtheinvolvementorengagementreally.(NewPlymouthcommunitymember)

TherewassomeengagementwithexistingMāorinetworks.

WealsovisitedalocalKaumātuagroupsowetriedtocoverawiderange,aswidearangeofexternalsourcesaswecould.IdoalotofworkwithMāori,infactI’montheboardofKāpōMāori,which is theorganisation that looks afterblindMāori,andtheyarekeentotakeacollectiveapproachtothiswholething,andyouknowtheirwhanau values, they look after each other to amuch greater extent than Ithinkotherethnicgroupsdo.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

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Littleconsiderationwasgiventotheneedsofmigrantandethniccommunitiesexcept

forsuperficialengagementwithmulticulturalgroupsinthecommunity.

Wetalkedtothechairmanof themulti-ethnicsocietyherewhichrunsa functioneveryyearwheretheyhavestallsandfoodandotherethnicactivitiessowedidn’tignore them but they’re all fairly significant minorities, sometimes you aresurprisedathowbigtheyare.Likethere’salittlepocketofSamoans,thereseemstobealotofSriLankan’sforsomereason,Indians,Chinese,theyarehere.Buttheyareonlyaminorpartofthepopulation.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

3.6.3 Hamilton

The Hamilton Age-Friendly Steering Group had good connectionswith a local Māori

group, theRauawaawaKaumātuaCharitableTrust.TeRunangaoKirikiriroa, through

NgaRauTatangihadrepresentationontheSteeringGroup.TheRauawaawaKaumātua

CharitableTrustandNgaRauTatangiworkcloselywitholderMāoriandwereengaged

withtheage-friendlyframeworkatlocalandcentralgovernmentlevel.

We’vebeenquiteclosewithHamiltonCityCouncil.We’realsoacommunityhouseso we are quite connected in that sense … things that happen at the council oranything pertaining to older persons, we’re automatically engaged. Sowhen theconversationcameabout,we’realsoverycloselyconnectedtotheOfficeforSeniors.I think thatweweremostprobably connectedenoughwithin the sector toknowwhattheplanswere,andwecontinuouslyinformourstakeholdersas towhatweareuptoanyway,waybeforewestarted,andthatprocessgivespeopletheheads-up of what you’re doing. So if there’s anything that aligns well for it, then theynaturallyknowwheretocomeforfeedbackortosharetheinformationthat theyknowthatwedon’tnecessarilyknow.(Hamiltoncommunitymember)

TheHamiltonCityCouncilpolicyandadministrationofficerontheSteeringGroup,was

cognisantoftheneedtoappropriatelyengagewithMāori.

Māori engagement … generally when we have a project like this we wouldapproachWaikato Tainui and have discussions with them. But I think they aregoingthroughabitofarestructureatthemomentsothatwasn’taneasyprocessforus…HamiltonCityCouncilactuallyhaveaiwirelationshipsadvisorwhoworksforussoIdidalotofworkwithhimaroundhowweengagewithMāoriandmakesurewe’vegot thatprocess sorted.Basicallywe’vegot to thepointwhere itwasagreedthatwewould just talkwiththeRauawaawaKaumātuaCharitableTrustand they would be the point of contact in terms of ensuring that we had goodMāori representationand that sideof thingswaswell covered inourdocuments.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

IhappentoserveasaKaumātuaatthelocalmarae…Iknowthattherehavebeenoddmentions by one or two of the other Kaumātua of the sorts of thingswhich

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havebeenthesubjectsofdiscussionbetweenoronbehalfofthesteeringgroup.Sointhatsense,IbelievetherehasbeenusefulcontactwithrepresentativesofolderMāori.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Hamilton refugees and migrant communities were consulted as part of the needs

assessmentprocessesundertakenbytheSteeringGroupduring2017.

The council also has a migrant advisor, an ethnic advisor and she’s been reallyhelpfulaboutmakingsurethatwehavesomeprojectsinthefinalplanthatspeakto theneedsof ourolder ethnicandmigrant communities.We’vegotquiteabigmigrantandrefugeecommunityhereinHamilton.Ifeellikemigrantgroupshavebeenconsultedandengagedwith.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

3.7 Whatage-friendlyactivitieshavebeeninitiatedineachpilotsite(activitiesthathavehappened)?


Participants identifiedanumberofpositivecommunity level initiativesthat fallunder

theumbrellaofage-friendly.

There’s some exciting things happening at community level … intergenerationalopportunities … we have a large elderly population and a growing youngerpopulation.Thisyearwe’vehadanewlyopenedchildcarecentreapproachusandaskiftheycanbringsomeoftheirlittliesinonaregularbasistovisitolderpeoplelivinginoneofourcarehomes.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

Wehavealsoheldanage-friendlyageexpowhichtheOlderPersons’Councilwasstronglyinvolvedinandheldeachyear.Thatbringstogetherallsortsofoperatorswho are interested in promoting what they are doing for older people. (KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

Funding fromKāpiti Retirement Trust andOffice for Seniors, through theCommunity

Connectsgrant,wasmadeavailableforanage-friendlyinitiative,theKāpitiHorowhenua

BusinessAwards,andtheAge-FriendlyCustomerChoiceAwards.

The steering group had one of its members who was also associated with theHorowhenuaKāpitiElectraBusinessGrouparrangebusinessawardsintheKāpitiHorowhenua area. There was always a people’s choice component but theopportunitythroughtheKāpitiHorowhenuaElectraBusinessGrouptoextendthisto have a people’s choice section included in the age-friendly business awards isrelativelyrecent.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

KāpitiHealthShuttle,anestablishedcommunitylevelinitiative,providestransportfor

olderpeopletogettohospitaloutpatientappointments.Thisserviceispredominantly

staffedbyvolunteers.

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We provide transport for predominantly older people to get intoWellington orKenepuruHospitals for their outpatient appointmentsduring theweek.Wehavevolunteer drivers and a paid coordinator to manage it all. (Kāpiti communitymember)

3.7.2 NewPlymouth

Initiatives and activities that could be classified as age-friendly included reviewing

publictransportoptions,fallspreventionprogrammesandTaiChigroupactivities.The

age-friendlystrategyprovidedastrategicandcohesivemechanismtohelpachieveage-

friendlygoals.

Whatwewantedtoachieve fromthestrategywasamorecoherentandcohesiveapproach.Wenowhaveanactionplansowecanputthingsonthatandthentickthem off, or leave them open if they weren’t happening fast enough. (NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

Newinitiativeshaveresultedfromtheage-friendlyprocess.

Oneof thechurchesnowdoregularbreakfast in themorningfor thecommunity.Youdon’thavetobeover65tocome,butalotofpeoplewhoareover65docometo the church breakfast. That’s all sort of popped up through the networks andconnections that are happening through the age-friendly process. (Office forSeniorsstaffmember)

Raisingawarenessaboutissuesolderpeoplefaceinaccessingservices,hasmeantsome

of the work to improve the environment for people with disabilities has also been

recognisedasage-friendly.

Anothersuccesswe’vedoneistheaccessibleshopsprogrammewhereweturneditinto a competition and that’s achieved an enormous swing in the views of theretailers.Whenyoutellthemthey’remissingouton30%ofthepopulationiftheydon’ttakeintheneedsofdisabledandolderpeopletheystopandthink.Oneofthethings thatwe offer to the retailers is staff training so that their staff aremuchmoreaware of theneedsofdisabledandolder people.Wherewe’vemanaged tobreak through, they immediately become huge advocates of it so that’s anotherpartofourstrategy.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

Additionally,issuesofmobility,transportandaccesshavebeenhighlightedtotheNew

PlymouthDistrictCouncilthroughtheirage-friendlyproject.

They’venowgotkneelingbusesinNewPlymouth.They’vepersuadedthecounciltoputrampsinfrontoftheshelterssothatpeopleinwheelchairsareabletobetterget on and off the buses. Now we are looking at ways to get people withwheelchairsandmobilityscootersfromthesoutherntownsuptoNewPlymouthsotheycangoshopping.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

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The age-friendly strategy has heightened awareness when new infrastructure is

planned.

Whenthere’sanewproject,anyprojectthat’sbeendone,I’mspecificallythinkingaboutroadingoranyformofinfrastructurebuildings…thatworkisalwaystakento the age and accessibility issues working party and discussed there. (NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

While the age-friendly framework has led to the implementation of age-friendly

initiatives it has also highlighted some social challenges for the community to think

about.

It’sthemorenebulousissuesthatarehardertofindsolutionsto,I’mtalkingreallyaboutisolationandsocialloneliness.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

3.7.3 Hamilton

Developing the age-friendly plan has provided Hamilton with the opportunity to

continueinitiativesandactivitiesthatworkwell,enhanceexistingactivities,initiatives

andprogrammesandplannewinitiatives.

Therewas a stocktake ofwhatwe are doing already…whatmorewe could bedoingtobemoreage-friendly.Werealisedtherearealotofthingsalreadyinplace.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Newactivitieshavebeenlinkedtotheage-friendlyplan.

…collectingoralhistoriesfromourolderMāori,Iknowforsurethatwouldn’thavehappenedifithadn’tbeenforthisplan.WeactuallyhaveateamwhoworkintheHamiltonLibrarywhocollectoralhistories.They’vegotKaumātuatherewhoarepushinglate80searly90sandyouknowtheyarenotgoingtobewithusfortoomuchlongerandwe’dliketocollectthatinformationbeforeit’stoolate.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

During the community engagement, numerous activities were identified as inclusive

andage-friendly.AgoodexampleistheKaumātuaOlympics,aregulareventheldbythe

RauawaawaKaumātuaCharitableTrust.Thiseventhasgainedpopularityamongolder

Māori.

...anopportunitytohavesomefun,tocompetebutbereallylighthearted...it’soneeventthatmanyfromtheregionemphasisehowimportantitistohaveeveryyear,becauseourKaumātualookforwardtoit.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Improvementstothephysicalenvironmentandtransportsystemswereunderway.

We’vegotan improvement inbus services, in the sheltersand information that’savailableforbuses.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

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Someactivitieshavebeenaroundraisingawarenessinthemedia.

Hamilton has recently had quite a bit of media attention around their work …there’samagazine thatgoesout in theMidland region calledSeniors, so they’veputarticlesintheSeniorsmagazineabouttheage-friendlyworkandwhattheyaredoing.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)

3.8 Whatage-friendlyprojectsareplannedforthefutureineachpilotsite?


In termsofspecific age-friendly initiatives,KāpitiCoastDistrictAge-FriendlySteering

Group has focused on progressing the age-friendly business awards with plans to

developanaccreditationsystemforbusinessesthatprovideservicesandproducts for

older people. Other ageing related activities are establishing annual age-friendly

focused events. For example, the age-friendly expo organised by the Older People’s

Council.

WehaveanumberofretirementvillagesinKāpitiandIbelieveKāpitiisabouttheonly one in the country where they run a resident-led inter-village games eachyear.Thatbringsinalotofpeopletothevillagestoseewhatit’slike.Thenot-for-profitandcorporatesectorsgettogethertodothat.Ithinkthat’ssomethingquiteunique to Kāpiti. We also have seminars that have been run by the financialliteracy division of the Ministry of Economic Development for people withinretirementorlookingatretirementvillagesasaplacetolive.Otherthingsincludedevelopingawebsiteandstartingtoinvestigateandtalkaboutthedevelopmentofanadultplayground.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

3.8.2 NewPlymouth

TheAge-FriendlyNewPlymouthPlanhadpriorities foractionundereachof theeight

age -friendlydomains.Lackofhousingoptions forolderpeople living in theareahas

promptedinvestigatingotherlivingoptionsbeyondretirementvillages.

Co-housingisafarbettersystemforolderpeoplewheretheycanstayintheirownhomesbut still bewithin the community.Oneof the thingswearekeenabout issmallerhousingdevelopments,insteadofa600squaremetresectiontheycouldbe300, and smaller apartments. These could be connected to a social hub whichwould includeaccess toadoctor, chemist, libraryand thepuband soon.Ratherthan sending people likeme, in a few years’ time, away to a retirement village,thosesortsofconceptsarethethingsthatweareworkingonquiteseriously.(NewPlymouthcommunitymember)

Options to address the lack of transportation in the surrounding rural areas is also

beingdiscussed.

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One of the things we are doing is trying to set up a public daily service fromOkaihauintotownusinganelectricvehicle.(NewPlymouthcommunitymember)

Thedevelopmentofaseriesofseminarsthatareofinteresttoolderpeoplehavebeen

undertakenandhavebeenasuccess,somoreareplanned.

Wedidoneonhowtodealwithacivildefenceemergency.Wedidoneonthebrainandthethingsyoucandotokeepyourbrainactiveandworking.Wedidoneonstrokes.Sowe’redoingthatsortofthinginconjunctionwithGreyPowerandwithour Kaumātua groups because we’re trying to get them to come along to thesethingstoo.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

3.8.3 Hamilton

TheHamiltonage-friendlyplandetailsnewprojectsundertheeightdomains.Theplan

shows the agencies or individuals responsible, as well as the success indicators and

timeframes.Anexampleofanupcomingeventthatpromotesactiveageingis…

It’scalled50Plus,I’mLovingIt,anditwillbeheldatHamiltonGardens.It’satwo-day event over a weekend and there will be lots of things for older people.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Further,someimprovementsareplannedintheoutdoorspaces.

There’s been some improved access for parks in Hamilton so that willimproveaccessforbotholderpeopleandpeoplewithdisabilities.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Housingisoneoftheimportantissuesaddressedintheage-friendlyplan.

I think probably in terms of the really big things that have come out of this ishousing.We’re lookingata centralisedhousinghubwhichwill beaplacewherepeople can go and get information about housing options. (Hamilton SteeringGroupmember)

Another positive outcome from developing the age-friendly plan has been the

opportunityforinter-agencycollaboration.

We’vegotsomereallygreatagenciesdoingsomeawesomestuffforolderpeopleinthecommunitybuttheydon’talwaystalktoeachother.Alotofthemarerunningonashoestringandtheyjustdon’thavethetime,theydon’thaveanybodyhelpingthem to kind of collaborate with other organisations and so there’s some reallygood opportunities here for those groups to start talking to each other. Age-friendliness is a really good catalyst to get inter-collaboration going. (HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

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3.9 Whataretheenablerstoinitiatingage-friendlyprogrammes/activities?

Sixkeyenablers to initiatingage-friendlyprogrammes/activitieshavebeen identified

acrossallsitesandareevidentinthedocumentsreviewed.Theseare:

� centralgovernmentsupport� localcouncilsupport� acommittedsteeringgroup� communityengagement� awareness,and� strengths-basedsustainability.

3.9.1 Centralgovernmentsupport

Commitment from central government was identified in all sites as an enabler to

implementingtheage-friendly framework . Internationally,age-friendly frameworks

havesucceededwhencentralgovernmenthasprovidedsupport(Menecetal.,2014).

IthinktheOfficeforSeniorssupportisimportantandforusithasbeengoodandthat’s already an enabler here. You need people at the top level [centralgovernment]tohelpmakestuffhappen.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

FundingappliedforthroughtheOfficeforSeniorsforspecifictasksandinitiativesand

resourcesfromcentralgovernmentwereimportanttoprogressage-friendlyinitiatives.

… financial support to develop our age-friendly plan…we’re really thankful forthatbecauseitjustwouldn’thavelookedasgoodasitdoesifwehadn’thadthat.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Central government attendance at steering group meetings was viewed as being

supportive.

One of the Office for Seniors staff attended all the steering groupmeetings thatwereheld.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

OngoingcommunicationwiththeOfficeforSeniorswasrecognisedasanenabler.

IthinkitissoimportantthattheOfficeforSeniorsforexamplenotonlycomesoutandmeetswithpeople thatareworking inthisareabutalsokeeps in touchwiththemand follows up in an efficientmanner so that communication is kept alive.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

3.9.2 Localcouncilsupport

Themajorityofparticipantsacrossthethreesitesbelievedhavinglocalcouncilbuy-in

and commitment was imperative for implementing an age-friendly programme and

keepingthemomentumgoing.Commitmentincludedhavingcouncilrepresentationon

theAge-FriendlySteeringGroupsandMayoralsupport.

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… total acceptance and publication of that acceptance by KCDC. That to me isabsolutelycrucial.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

Ournewmayorwasverysupportiveofthisandhejustsaiddowhatyouneedtodotogetitdone.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

The Office for Seniors staff had a role in supporting local councils to work with

communitiestosupportage-friendlyinitiatives.

Youhavealsogottohavecouncilsthatarewillingtoengage.Soalotoftheworkwe’vebeendoinghasbeentoraiseawarenessacrossthelocalgovernmentsectorinparticular.Tomakethemawareoftheissuesandsetaframeworkisfundamentaltosuccess.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)

Additionally,workingwithcommunity-ledinitiativesrequiredlocalcouncilstoworkin

anewwaywiththeircommunities.Thismeansanenvironmentwherethelocalcouncil

listenstothecommunityandarenot“incharge”.

Thechallengewasreallyleadingfrombehindandmakingsurethatprojectswererobustandmettheneedsofthecommunity.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

Local councils provided resources including people resources, use of venues and

administrativeassistance.

3.9.3 Acommittedsteeringgroup

Acommittedsteeringgroupwascentraltotheprocessofimplementinganage-friendly

programme.

… having strong leadership from within the community. We couldn’t have donewhatwehavewithouttheexperienceofthemembersofthesteeringgroup.Allofwhomwerewell-respected, informed and committed people. (Hamilton SteeringGroupmember)

Itwasalsorecognisedthatmanagingcommunitypoliticswasanecessaryskillrequired

bythesteeringgroupleadership.

Someonethat’spassionateaboutitbutalittlebitremovedaswell,sotheycanhavetheconversationswiththedifferentgroupsandnavigatetheirwaythroughallthelocal community politics. Having the right kind of knowledge and skill set isimportant.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)

All three pilot communities had existing groups such as the Kāpiti Older Persons

Council, the New Plymouth Positive Ageing Trust, and the Hamilton Older People’s

AdvisoryGroupthatadvisedthelocalcouncil.Thesegroupsprovidedthefoundationfor

theAge-FriendlySteeringGroupsandpreviousworkundertakenwasincorporatedinto

theAFCCprogrammes.

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3.9.4 Communityengagement

Listening to thevoiceof the community supportedabottom-upapproachconsidered

vitaltoimplementinganage-friendlyframework.Utilisingnetworkswasidentifiedas

awaytofacilitateengagement.

…goingoutandutilisinganumberofthenetworksandstructuresthatareinplaceisreallyimportant.(NewPlymouthcommunitymember)

Havingawiderangeofvoicesthatreflecteddiversityinthecommunitywasconsidered

tobeanenabler.

It’sreallyeasy to focusonaparticularsegmentof thecommunity that’s likely toturnuptothecouncilmeetingsandcomplainabouttheirrates.Becausethey’retheonesthatturnupandengageitisimportanttomakesurethatyougetthevoicesfromotherpartsofthecommunityaswell…takingeveryopportunitytopromoteandtalktoawiderangeofpeople.(NewPlymouthcommunitymember)

Furthermore, learning from and sharing information with other age-friendly

communitieswasidentifiedasastrengthintheprocess.

Sharingamongstdifferentcouncilsanddifferentcommunitiesthatarealsodoingage-friendlymeansthat theycanshare ideas, sharetools, shareapproaches…sothateverybodyisnotbusilytryingtonavigatetheirwaythroughtheminefieldallbythemselves.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)

I visited the New York age-friendly project … I also visited age-friendly inMelbourne. I would be expecting the communities in New Zealand to visit eachother to discuss, share ideas and support each other. (Hamilton Steering Groupmember)

Learninghowothercommunitieshaveengagedwithiwiwasconsideredimportantfor

developingabi-culturalapproach.

Becauseofthechallengeswehavehad,itwouldbereallygoodtounderstandhowother communities have engagedwith their iwi partners. I think there’s a lot ofvalue inMāori frameworkswherethere’sanatural fitwithKaumātua.So I thinkthat’sreallyimportantandsomethingthatpossiblywouldbealearningforotherprojects.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

3.9.5 Awareness

Someparticipants foundoncethecommunitywasexposedto issuesolderpeopleand

people with disabilities faced they became advocates of the age-friendly concept.

PromotingtheAFCCframeworkasinclusiveofallageswasconsideredimportantasit

reducedsomeofthenegativeattitudesinthecommunity.

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Ithinklookingatframeworkswherethatwholeideaofage-friendlybeingforallages and all abilitieswith some inclusivity and accessibility and some strategiesworks. If you look at places likeMelbournewho have embraced the whole ‘let’smake it accessible for all ages’ has worked extremely well. Age-friendly is fortoddlers, people who have a disability and those who have English as a secondlanguage.(Kāpiticommunitymember)

Ifpeoplecameonboardandrealisedthatage-friendlyisaboutallagesIthinkwewouldgetafarbetterbuy-infromthepublicatlarge.(NewPlymouthcommunitymember)

Raising awareness of age-friendly initiatives was linked to communication and

providing information. Some of the ways older people communicated and received

information included local newsmedia, socialmedia, the public library, the internet,

wordofmouth,radio,newslettersfromvariousgroupsandinformationcentres.

TheSuperSeniorswebsiteandFacebookpagestarttobecomechannelsthatcanbeinfluentialandstarttobuildawarenessthatthenpeoplecanseesomethingthatisofusetothem.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)

Forsome,facetofacecommunicationwasthemostvalued.

I honestly believe it’s going out and utilising a number of the networks andstructures that are in place and actually talking to people face to face (NewPlymouthcommunitymember)

3.9.6 Strengths-basedsustainability

Participants identified the importance of taking a strengths-based approach to age-

friendly initiatives. Utilising existing resources and building on established

infrastructureandsystemswasanenabler.

Building on what already exists is important, if the community is going to dosomethinglikethis,firstofalltheyhavetolookattheresourcesthatitalreadyhas.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

TheOfficeforSeniorsenvisageanage-friendlyframeworkthatreflectstheNewZealand

context.

InNewZealandwehaveacommonunderstandingofwhatage-friendlymeansthatreflectsouruniquesocietalandculturalsetting.Weareoperating inabiculturalsocietywhereTreatyofWaitangiisthefoundationdocumentandIwouldexpecttosee someof thoseprinciplesandways thatMāori societyoperates, capture thosewithin the framework . It is important that it is uniquely a New Zealandframework.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)

Involvingbroadnetworksacrossthecommunityandhavingongoingsupportfromthe

councilwasimportantforsustainability.

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Look it’s around that multidisciplinary, multi-agency interaction. For me thecritical ingredient has been getting the key organisations together who provideservices to older people and the absolute cornerstone of that is having the citycouncilsupport.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

Planning the implementation stage, forming a committed implementation groupwith

clear goals and framework to evaluate and manage progress was important for

sustainability.

So we’d actually put in a very clear process as to how this is going to beimplemented.We’vegotanimplementationgroupthatwillmeet.We’vesaidtheyweregoingtomeetquarterlyandtheywillreport toHamiltonCityCouncileverysixmonthsabouthowthingsaregoing.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

3.10 Whatarethebarrierstoinitiatingage-friendlyprogrammes/activities?

Fivekeybarriers to initiatingage-friendlyprogrammes/activitieshavebeen identified

acrossallsites.Theseare:

� lackofsupportfromcentralgovernment� lackofsupportfromlocalcouncils� difficultiesgettingstarted� lackofwidercommunityengagement,and� ageistattitudes.

3.10.1Lackofsupportfromcentralgovernment

Support coming from the Office for Seniors staff was appreciated; however, some

participantsperceivedcentralgovernmentwereunder-fundingage-friendlyinitiatives.

TheOfficearereallysupportivebutIthinktheyarereallyunder-resourced,that’spartoftheproblem.Ifwe’retalkingaboutageingbeingasignificantissueforthecountrythisisatinylittleofficethat’spartofMSD[MinistryofSocialDevelopment]andtheyoftenjustdon’thavetheresources.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

OfficeforSeniorsstaffrecognisedthelackofresourcesavailabletocommunities.

Some other countries have got quite robust toolkits and frameworks. WesternAustraliahasgotalocalcouncilcommitteethatprovidesprofessionalsupportformanagers and councils. Canada has annual trainingworkshops for communitieswantingtobecomeage-friendly.We’veupdatedthewebsiteandaddedmoreclarityaround the step-by-step process but really the material that we’ve got to helpcommunitiesthroughthesupportweprovideatanationallevelIthinkcouldbeabitbetter.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)

A further barrier to progress at central government level was lack of an integrated

approach to addressing the opportunities and challenges associated with an ageing

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population.OfficeforSeniorsstafflinkedthistoalackofcommonunderstandingofthe

demographicchangesoccurring.

There isa lackofacommonunderstandingacrosscentralgovernmentandsomelocal government around the size and significance of demographic change. Thisinfluencesataregional level inparticularandtheneedtobethinkingdifferentlyaboutservicedeliveryandtheproportionofolderpeopleinourcommunitiesandwhat that’sgoing to look like inquitea short periodof time. (Office forSeniorsstaffmember)

3.10.2Lackofsupportfromlocalcouncils

Localgovernmentsupportwasnotalwaysavailabletoage-friendlyinitiatives.

Ijustwishthecouncilwouldgetalittlebitmoreinterestedinit,that’sall.Becausethey’reakeyplayerreally.(NewPlymouthSteeringGroupmember)

Paucityofsupportwas linkedto lackofknowledgeabout theage-friendly framework

andhavingotherpriorities.

Ithinklackoftrainingandknowledgearoundtheissuesespeciallywithincouncil.So work being donewithout turning an eye to age-friendly issues. I think that’sabouttrainingandaboutidentifyingthatthisissueisgoingtobemoresignificantinthefutureandthat’saboutmakingage-friendlyapriority.Itisarealissuenowandinthefuture,Ithinkwe’rereallyonthebackfoot.Ireallythinkitneedstobeapriorityforofficersaswellaselectedmembers.Arealfearofminethatweendupinasituationwherewe’vegotthemostunusablecommunityforolderpeopleandthere’s a large majority of our community that will be in that bracket. (NewPlymouthCouncilCommunityPartnershipLead)

InNewZealand,localcouncilelectionscauseddisruptiontoprogresswhenchangesin

council staff and Mayor lacked knowledge of the age-friendly framework . This

challengewasalsoidentifiedinage-friendlyinitiativesinCanada(Menecetal.,2014).

3.10.3Difficultiesgettingstarted

Difficultiesgetting startedassociatedwith challenginggroupdynamicsand individual

personalitiesdelayedprogressofanage-friendlyprogramme.

Ittookalongtimeforustogetgoing.Initiallyourmeetingswereaglorifiedtalkfestandverylittleemergedasaconcreteoutcome.Ihavetosay,there’squiteafewpersonalitiesintheolderpopulationandforthemallsittingaroundonetableandcomingtoanagreementthatwasahurdle.(KāpitiCommunitymember)

Therewasaheavyrelianceonpeoplevolunteeringtheirtimetoprogressage-friendly

initiatives.Involvingpeopleoveralongperiodoftimewaschallengingforsomegroups.

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Iprobablyspentatleastonedayaweekfortwoyearsdoingthisandthat’salotoftime…wehavetobeawarethatinsomecommunitiestheymaybeshortofsomeofthoseresources.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember).

We find it extremelydifficult forpeople toactuallyputup theirhandand takeashareofthework.Itjustseemstobethattheymakecommentsbutdon’tseemableorwillingtofollowthrough.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

Groupswereoverwhelmedbythedetail.Thescopeoftheage-friendlyframeworkwas

broadandcouldbedauntingatthebeginningoftheprocess.

Peoplegotboggeddowninsomeofthedetailandstartedgoingaroundincircles.When you look at the age-friendly framework , it’s huge and it can be reallydaunting and can derail people which impacts on being able to make progress.(OfficeforSeniorsstaffmember)

3.10.4Lackofwidercommunityengagement

The difficulty in capturing a wide and diverse community voice was recognised.

Engagingwithadiverserepresentationofthecommunityhasbeenidentifiedelsewhere

asessentialinforminganinclusiveage-friendlyplan(Buffeletal.,2014).

Ithinkonlyasectionofourcommunitywasengagedwith.Therearemanyotherswho for one reason or another were not consulted. For example, those who aremarginalisedandforgottenbecausethey’reisolatedwillnothavebeenconsulted.(Kāpiticommunitymember)

TherewasalsoaperceptionthatMāoriwerenotalwaysadequatelyconsulted.

IntermsofourMāoriengagement…becausegenerallywhenwehaveaprojectlikethiswewouldapproach[nameofMāoriiwi]andhavediscussionswiththem.ButIthinktheyaregoingthroughabitofarestructureatthemomentsothatwasn’taneasyprocessforus.(HamiltonSteeringGroupmember)

MoreworkwasneededinfindingwaystoengagewithMāoriandmigrantgroups.

Whentheage-friendlysteeringgroupdecidedtoinitiatesomeworktherewasn’talensforMāoriormigrantgroups,sothatwasamajordisadvantage.Consequently,overall I would have to say that neither of these groups have been adequatelyconsulted with and more work needs to be undertaken. (Kāpiti Steering Groupmember)

3.10.5Ageistattitudes

Ageist attitudes from the communities and local councilshad negatively impacted on

age-friendly initiatives. Further, media had contributed to negative attitudes by

problematisingageing.Marketingthebenefits forallagesto thecommunityhadbeen

importantinovercomingnegativeattitudes.

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Europeansocietytendstotreatalotofoldpeopleasoldandstupid.IfoundsomequitedisrespectfulattitudesreallyfromsomeoftheagenciesIspoketo.Theyreallyjustfeelthatthiswasolderpeoplewhiningorjustself-entitledandtheyhaditalland they ruined theplanetkindof thing. I found thatquite shameful really fromsomeofthepeople.Idon’tthinkit’srecognisedenoughhowvulnerabletheyareatallkindsoflevels.(NewPlymouthcommunitymember)

Age-friendly is forolderpeople. I guess it is an interpretationby thepeople, andthat’s my biggest hurdle … because coming from a disability point of view, themajorityofourclientsandpeopleweworkwitharedisabled,theyarenotover65necessarilyandit’stheirdisabilitythatpreventsthemfrombeingincluded.(KāpitiSteeringGroupmember)

4. DiscussionThe results from this evaluation identified the three pilot sites, Kāpiti Coast District,

NewPlymouthandHamiltonutiliseddifferentapproachesandprogressedatdifferent

rates in implementing age-friendly programmes. Firstly, this section provides a

discussion of the key success factors in implementing the age-friendly programmes.

Secondly, how bi-cultural values have been incorporated in the age-friendly

programmesisexamined.Thirdly,theroleoftheOfficeforSeniorsinimplementingthe

age-friendly cities and communities framework in the New Zealand context is

considered.Finally,alistofcriticalsuccessfactorsarepresented.

4.1 Keysuccessfactors

4.1.1 Atop-downapproach

Commitment fromcentral governmentwas identifiedby the threepilotsitesasakey

success factor to initiating the age-friendly programmes. Commitment by Office for

Seniors to integrate the age-friendly framework with other programmes addressing

inclusion of older people was strengthened by discussions around the country with

motivatedcommunities.AttendanceatAge-FriendlySteeringGroupmeetingsand the

associated supportandencouragementofferedbyOffice forSeniors staffwasvalued.

Moreover, the Office for Seniors staff were able to bring a wider perspective and

providesomeusefulresourcessuchasdemographicdataandaccesstoexperts in the

field. International frameworkshave identifiedacentralgovernmenthubtoconnect

people, ideas and resources, all of which supports sustainability (Jeste et al., 2016).

Additionally,fundingtoadvancespecificprojectswasconsideredbythepilotsitestobe

animportantindicationofcentralgovernmentcommitment.

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4.1.2 Localgovernmentbuy-in

Support from local councils was essential to the progress of the age-friendly

programmes;although,therewassomedisagreementonhowthelocalcouncilsshould

beinvolved.Akeysuccessfactorwashavingadedicatedcouncilrepresentativesitting

on Age-Friendly Steering Groups. This enabled access to a range of resources and

recognition from the councils that they were committed to the age-friendly

programmes. Each pilot site had existing advisory groups, previously established to

advisethe localcouncilonageingrelated issuesand/ortopromotepositiveageing in

the community. These groups were well positioned to transition to an Age-Friendly

Steering Group. Existing relationships between steering group members and local

councillors facilitated progress of age-friendly programmes. Furthermore, priorities

previously identified by advisory groups provided the foundation for age-friendly

programmes. A commitment from local councils to supporting age-friendly

communitieswasevidentinmostsitesandisconsideredanimportantsuccessfactorin

theinternationalliterature(Menecetal.,2014).

4.1.3. Abottom-upapproach

Findings demonstrate exampleswhere age-friendly initiatives are community driven.

Leaders of age-friendly programmes in each of the sites came from a variety of

community backgrounds including the disability sector. Each pilot site approached

formingtheirsteeringgroupsindifferentwaysrangingfromhand-pickedpeoplefrom

the community with specific skills and knowledge, to people from the community

representing interest groups and concerns of older people they served. A formative

evaluationofage-friendlyinitiativesinCanadafoundcommunitieswithwellorganised

age-friendly committees were more successful in advancing projects (Menec et al.,

2014). In the current study, sites enlisting a community approachhadmemberswho

were well informed about urgent issues and concerns of older people in their

communities.Similarly,havinganage-friendlychampionfromthecommunityhasbeen

asuccessfactorinotherstudies(Menecetal.,2015).However,competingpersonaland

groupagendashadatendencytoderailmeetings.

4.1.4 Communityconsultation

Allpilotsitesundertookcommunityneedsassessmentsbasedon theeightWHOage-

friendlydomains.Successfactorsincludedconsultingwidelyinthecommunity,finding

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outwhatalreadyexists,identifyinggapsanddeterminingwhatthecommunityneedsto

become more age-friendly. Experts from within the steering group or through

contracting an outside expert contributed to successful needs assessments being

undertaken.Stronginter-sectoralcollaborationsbetweenagenciesandcommunitiesare

evident and were incorporated into age-friendly plans. These findings resonate with

international age-friendly studies (Menec et al., 2015). Unfortunately consultation

processes illuminated instances where ageist attitudes from communities and local

councilswereevident.Ageistattitudesare identifiedasbarriers toimplementingage-

friendlyinitiatives(Buffeletal.,2014).

4.1.5 Gettingtractionwithmanageableprojects

The needs assessment processes undertaken in each of the areas identified existing

activities and projects that were age-friendly. These included enhancing access to

outdoor spaces, widening footpaths and improving disabled parking. These

achievements were encouraging to the community and provided the impetus to

progress other age-friendly projects. Examples identified by steering groups as

priorities included improved transportation options and centralised housing hubs

which could take longer to advance as they required inter-agency collaboration and

complexplanning.

4.2 Howbi-culturalvaluesareincorporated

TheOffice forSeniorsrecognised theopportunity todevelopauniquelyNewZealand

age-friendlybi-culturalapproachwhichwasechoedbyeachparticipatingsite.Allsites

acknowledged the limited representation of Māori-for-Māori on the steering groups.

One of the sites specifically targetedMāori representation through close links to the

council, but recognised this representation was not reflective of the wider Māori

community. Each site had some engagementwithMāori, however several barriers to

wider engagement were identified. These barriers included the challenges engaging

withMāoriacrossdifferentgeographical locationsanddifferingperspectives fromiwi

groups.Steeringgroupsusedexistingnetworksandconnections,aswellaslocalcouncil

support toengagewithMāori.Asaresultof thisengagementoneof thecommunities

hadestablishedanewage-friendlyinitiativespecificallyforolderMāori.

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4.3 Engagementwithmigrantgroups

Minimal engagement and consultation with migrant groups was evident. Only one

community had engaged with migrant communities, resulting in the inclusion of

culturally specific activities in their age-friendly plan. The lack of engagement with

migrant communities is well recognised internationally, resulting in age-friendly

programmes being criticised for being Eurocentric. The importance of including the

perspectivesofmigrantcommunitieswhenimplementingage-friendlyprogrammeshas

beenhighlightedininternationalliterature(Phillipson,2018).

4.4 RoleoftheOfficeforSeniors

AkeyroleoftheOfficeforSeniorsistoprovideadviceandinformationtotheMinister

for Seniors on issues relating to older people. Additionally, Office for Seniors staff

considered their role was to raise awareness of the ageing population across other

government agencies. This would enable wider central government discussions and

collaborationthatwouldfurthersupportNewZealandbecomingage-friendly.

Atthelocallevel,OfficeforSeniorsenvisagedaroleinfacilitatingcollaborationbetween

communities and local councils. TheOffice for Seniors should also provide capability

training and access to toolkits and resources for communities and councils to utilise.

Resourcescouldincludeage-friendlyframeworksforuseintheNewZealandsetting.As

age-friendly programmes advance, there is potential for providing guidance and

supportonbestpracticeoutcomemeasuresthatcouldbeusedasevaluationtools.

Critical success factors are when:

� thereisbuy-infromcentralandlocalgovernment

� theOfficeforSeniorsprovideon-goingsupportandresources

� age-friendlyprogrammesarecommunity-led

� age-friendly community partnerships are developed with Māori and migrant

groups

� thereisdiverserepresentationonsteeringgroups

� steeringgroupshaveclearlyarticulatedvision,purposeandgoals

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� steeringgroupshavestrongcommunityrepresentation

� steeringgroupshaveskilledandeffectiveleadership

� thereissuccessionplanningforleadershiponsteeringgroups

� adedicatedcouncilrepresentativesitsonthesteeringgroup

� thereisendorsementoftheage-friendlyprogrammebylocalcouncil

� theOfficeforSeniorsfacilitatearelationshipbetweensteeringgroupsandlocal

councilwhennecessary

� there aremechanisms for raising awareness of the age-friendly brand using a

widerangeofmediaandformats

� ageismischallengedandaddressed,and

� communities have the expertise and ability to undertake their own needs

assessments.

41|Page

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