Senior citizens uniting to support the rights of New Zealanders of all
ages.
National President tells members to be "vocal, visible and
vibrant"
Don Robertson, the National President of Greypower, is keen for the members
of Greypower New Zealand to continue to be "vocal, visible and vibrant".
This is of key importance, even though they have achieved the removal of
the surtax on the income of Senior Citizens which was the original
motivation for the formation of the movement. This achievement may be at
risk with the collapse of the coalition between National and New Zealand
First.
What motivated Don to join Greypower?
Don Robertson joined Greypower eight years ago because he was fed up with
hearing about 'the greedy oldies syndrome' - a totally unjustified
description of a generation who had worked hard and saved hard - as New
Zealanders are now being urged to do! After a lifetime of hard work and
prudent money management why should they have to pay extra taxation and be
vilified for protesting against discrimination? They were seemingly being
clobbered and marginalised in many areas.
What skills did Don bring to the position?
To be effective an organisation like Greypower must be efficiently run and
among its members it has a huge pool of skills which are largely unutilised
since the members retired. Don, born in Great Britain, graduated as a
member of the British Hotel and Catering Institute and became a member of
both the British and New Zealand Management Institutes. He has put these
skills to use in business for many years and still runs a backpackers and
bed and breakfast business in Palmerston North.
He is a people person as is demonstrated in his career which meant constant
dealings with people, and in his concern about the problems of people of
all ages in New Zealand. He is involved in community service and is at
present an elected member of his Palmerston North city ward committee.
How did Greypower New Zealand begin?
When the Labour Party introduced the Surcharge on National Superannuation
in 1983 a number of disgruntled National Party supporters in Auckland
banded together in a group called the New Zealand Superannuitants
Association with the aim of having the surtax withdrawn.
Increased numbers and widening scope
Since then the name has been changed to Greypower New Zealand and the small
group has increased until there are over eighty thousand members, spread
over eighty two associations throughout New Zealand. These vary in size
from 8,000 members to small rural groups of 50 or 60 members. The largest
group is in Invercargill where there is no Age Concern, and Greypower
supplies many of the needs met so well by Age Concern in cities like
Christchurch.
Greypower New Zealand is different from the Greypower movements in
Australia and the USA. In Australia Greypower is a political party, and in
the USA it is virtually a union with a huge membership and a budget of
millions of dollars, like a multinational corporation.
In New Zealand Greypower was born out of political anguish and its aims and
objectives have arisen from that anguish. It is not National Party
centred, but is a political lobby group supporting no political party, and
lobbying in favour not only of the elderly but people of all ages suffering
under the present systems.
The surcharge has been an albatross around the necks of senior citizens,
and has also in a way been an albatross around the neck of Greypower, as
many people have identified the movement solely with battling for its
removal, and so lost sight of the wider aims of the movement.
What are the issues about which Greypower is concerned?
The uncertainties of the financial situation, especially superannuation
The fall of the dollar and the fluctuations in the value of their
investments have left many older people with an increasing sense of
insecurity about their financial independence. An accord is urgently
needed on superannuation to produce a system which is not a political
football for the parties to kick about at election time.
So many elderly people have lost their sense of financial security and
greatly fear being unable to pay their way.
The Health System
Hospital closures
The closing of hospitals and/or services in small towns and rural areas
means that many elderly people have to travel to a strange environment away
from family and friends when they require surgery or more than basic
medical care.
Waiting lists
The long delays mean that patients suffer long drawn out pain and
limitation of their mobility and independence, where prompt surgery could
restore them to their normal lifestyle. Health insurance becomes far more
expensive for people over sixty five, yet many people struggle to pay it
and have difficulty paying other costs. They feel impelled to keep health
insurance because they can no longer trust the public health system.
Most people have lost their sense of security in the health services and
greatly fear feeling ill
.
Housing
The sale of so many houses which were purpose-built to provide homes for
those who could not pay market rents and the increase in rentals have left
people of all ages living in overcrowded and often insanitary conditions.
This has led to an increase in illness, especially the resurgence of
infectious diseases like meningitis and tuberculosis which were thought to
be a rarity in New Zealand.
Many people fear that they will be unable to pay their rent or their
rates and greatly fear eviction from their homes.
Crimes of violence
Crime is increasing in New Zealand with frequent reports of violent
offending against elderly people who are less able to protect themselves.
At the same time there is great concern in the community as the Government
is looking at reducing the size of the police force.
So many people especially the elderly, are losing faith in the ability
of the police to protect them and fear that they will be victims of
burglary or violent crime.
Changes in the Fire Service
Currently there is great dissension and protest about the changes proposed
for the Fire Service and the reduction in the number of firefighters. At
the same time there have been increasing incidences of deaths in house
fires.
Many people are losing faith in the ability of the Fire Service to
rescue them in the event of a house fire and live in fear of a fire in the
night.
Electricity costs
The increases in the cost of electricity have strained the budgets of many
elderly people. In the winter they must spend much of their time indoors
at home. Many stay in bed long hours or sit in the cold because they are
frightened of a large electricity bill which they cannot pay. This is
worse in the South Island where the temperatures are colder, but the former
power differential which took this into account has been cancelled.
Currently there are changes mooted in the supply of electricity, with the
stated aim of reducing costs to the consumers. There is unprecedentedly
strong opposition to the changes from many quarters. Will the Government
listen or are they such devotees of the policy of the economic right that
they will carry on regardless? Sectors of the industry oppose the changes
and consumers have ceased to trust the promises of the Government in any
area. They do not believe in the promised benefits.
Many people believe that changes will only increase charges, and live in
fear of an increased electricity bill.
Costs of long term rest home care.
Those who must spend a long time in care worry about the reduction of their
assets. Their spouses are reduced to a meagre income before the state pays
for the care. These people have paid taxes all their lives believing that
New Zealand's former acclaimed Social Security would care for them at the
end of their lives. No longer do they feel secure.
So many elderly people faced with debilitating illnesses worry about the
costs and live in fear of admission to long term care.
All these issues are on Greypower's agenda.
Greypower is concerned about all these issues and about the Government's
current policies which are leaving so many New Zealanders of all ages
living in fear.
Greypower gets its message heard by networking with other groups working to
improve the lot of the aged, supporting and joining in community protests
and lobbying the leaders and Members of Parliament in all parties. They
have skilled media representatives and use every possible opportunity to
put their message across through the press, the radio and the television.
Greypower believes that people must come first - whatever their age.
The highly acclaimed economic reforms have not worked. The country's
financial state has deteriorated, but more importantly the state of many of
its citizens has been one of increasing suffering. Greypower sees itself
as working for the rights of New Zealanders of all ages - for their
children and grandchildren, not just their contemporaries.
If economic change must come, let it be done gradually with due regard to
the impact on the people.
Greypower will continue to resist the 'slash and burn' policies of
recent Governments.
With the voting power of its numbers political parties must recognise that
its voice should be heard and its message heeded. They will find it hard
not to listen as the members use their vast pool of skills and show the
community that Greypower is vocal, visible and vibrant.
