PORTFOLIO OF THE MINISTER FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

Key Points

History

Until the establishment of the portfolio of Minister for Senior Citizens, the needs and interests of older people were not consistently represented by any one Minister of Government. The increasing importance of senior citizens as a specific group to be considered in public policy formation is reflected in the fact that in 1990 both the National and Labour parties endorsed the principle of appointing a Minister for Senior Citizens.

Holders of the portfolio of Minister for Senior Citizens have been:

• Hon Margaret Shields : July 1990 - November 1990
• Hon Graeme Lee : November 1990 - October 1991
• Hon Wyatt Creech : October 1991 - November 1993
• Hon Peter Gresham : November 1993 -

Roles and Responsibilities of the Minister for Senior Citizens

The role of the Minister for Senior Citizens is to advocate for older people at Cabinet and other government policy forums. The Minister for Senior Citizens works in the interests of older people, representing their views and concerns at government level. This has been greatly assisted by the fact that all but one of the portfolio holders have been Ministers inside Cabinet, and thus able to advocate at the highest level.

In order to advocate for older people, the Minister and his/her officials contribute to the policies affecting older people which may be developed in a range of government agencies. The Minister for Senior Citizens is therefore required to maintain close relationships with other Ministers. The advocacy role of the Minister is informed by both officials of the Senior Citizens Unit, who maintain close links with community groups and hold regular consultation meetings with older people, and by the Advisory Council for Senior Citizens, which provides the Minister with independent and confidential advice from a community perspective. The advocacy responsibility of the Senior Citizens portfolio means that the Minister for Senior Citizens may take a stance on an issue that is in opposition to that of other Ministers. In such circumstances, the issue would be debated and resolved at Cabinet level.

The advocacy function of the Minister for Senior Citizens is complicated by the fact that older people are not a homogeneous group. An issue such as income support, for example, gives rise to a range of viewpoints within the older population. Further, while the portfolio responsibility requires the Minister for Senior Citizens to represent the needs and expectations of older people, their needs must be balanced against the competing needs and expectations of other age groups in society.

The scope of the Senior Citizens portfolio is very broad, incorporating issues such as health, income support, housing and transport. Services for the Minister are provided by the Senior Citizens Unit which is part of the Social Policy Agency of the Department of Social Welfare. The work programme of the Senior Citizens Unit is negotiated with the Minister and formally agreed to on a quarterly basis. The focus of the portfolio varies and may be influenced by both changes in government policy and lobbying by older people’s interest groups. The Unit is proactive in identifying areas of current concern and relevance to older people. It also works closely with the Department of Social Welfare and non-government organisations in initiating new projects.

Issues that have been the subject of recent attention include: the surcharge on New Zealand Superannuation; the funding of voluntary agencies providing home-based support services; the effect of housing reforms on older people; elder abuse and neglect; and a number of positive ageing initiatives. In considering each of these issues, the focus of the Senior Citizens portfolio is to enhance the well-being of older people.

Relationship with the Senior Citizens Unit

The Manager and staff of the Senior Citizens Unit maintain close contact with the Office of the Minister for Senior Citizens and have regular briefings with the Minister.

The Manager of the Unit has instigated a policy whereby individual policy analysts are responsible for briefing the Minister on issues related to their specific areas of expertise. This ensures that the Minister is provided with high quality policy advice.

The Office of the Minister for Senior Citizens generally maintains a Private Secretary with specific responsibility for the portfolio. The Senior Citizens Unit values having a close working relationship with the Minister’s Private Secretary. Regular meetings with the Private Secretary has allowed for a two-way flow of information and has ensured an open working relationship.

Relationship with the Advisory Council for Senior Citizens

The Advisory Council for Senior Citizens was established by the Hon Wyatt Creech, who also held the portfolio of Associate Minister of Social Welfare, in 1992 to provide the Minister for Senior Citizens with expert, independent and confidential advice on issues concerning the well-being of older people. The advice of the Advisory Council is from a community perspective and in this way complements the advice provided by the Senior Citizens Unit.

In its first year of operation, the Advisory Council concentrated on requests for advice which it received from the Minister for Senior Citizens. More recently, the Advisory Council has developed a draft work programme at the beginning of each year which is sent to the Minister for consideration. Throughout the year, additional work is undertaken at the Minister’s request or at the instigation of Advisory Council members. The amount of work undertaken by the Advisory Council has increased significantly from its initial years of operation.

Prior to each Advisory Council meeting the Minister meets with the Chairperson, the Manager of the Senior Citizens Unit and the official who provides the secretariat services to the Advisory Council to discuss the agenda. The Minister generally attends the Advisory Council meetings to discuss issues under consideration. Following the meeting, the Minister may meet again with the Chairperson and officials to discuss the proceedings of the meeting.

The Advisory Council provides written reports to the Minister and the Minister receives copies of the minutes of the meetings. Council members agree that it is important to maintain regular communication with the Minister for feedback on the issues they have raised. This gives the Minister the opportunity to talk with other members and to affirm that their contributions are valued.

Future Directions

The portfolio of the Minister for Senior Citizens is becoming more important as the population ages and the interests and needs of older people have a greater impact on the social structure of New Zealand. The effectiveness of the portfolio is dependent on the ability of the Minister to respond to issues raised by and affecting older people. The placement of the portfolio of Senior Citizens within the ranks of Cabinet has contributed to the effectiveness of the position of Minister for Senior Citizens and has greatly enhanced its credibility with older people.

Older people are a significant and growing proportion of the population and they are becoming more politically active. Over the past three years the Minister for Senior Citizens has been put under increasing pressure to use his advocacy function to challenge government policy, particularly on health and income support issues. It is therefore of increasing importance that the Minister is able to receive comprehensive advice on a wide range of issues quickly.

The Senior Citizens Unit is the primary source of advice to the Minister on issues affecting older people. These range across many portfolio areas. The small size of the Unit limits its ability to maintain expertise across the range of issues affecting older people. Also, the volume of policy advice provided to the Minister is affected. The continued effectiveness of the Senior Citizens portfolio is therefore dependent on the resources available to the Senior Citizens Unit to perform its policy advice function.

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