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From The President
Like everyone have had a variable winter which seems never ending with southerlies sweeping up the island interspersed with patches of fine weather.Unfortunately we were in Wellington doing a round of visits when the weather was awful. During that visit had the pleasure to speak to a very large gathering at Paraparaumu - my congratulations and thanks go to all those hardy souls that braved the atrocious conditions to attend?
In September met with a number of people that week ,including Don Brash, Barbara Stewart (NZ First senior citizens) Darren Hughes ( Labour junior whip ) John Key ( National finance spokesperson , Judy Kirk National Party President, Hon Annette King, Hon Chris Carter,Hon Ruth Dyson and Hon Peter Dunne.
The discussions are recorded in a visit report already circulated.
On a more recent visit met with Peter Hughes the CEO of MSD and his two senior people –the MSD are creating under David Rea a section to deal specifically with matters that affect the elderly – we are to be invited to form part of a reference group.
On the same visit we met with Jim Anderton, separately with David Rea to discuss elderly concerns, Rod Donald, Hon Steve Maharey and Rt Hon Winston Peters.
Also attended meetings of the NZ Food Safety Authority, Health of Older Persons Forum, the Transport Review committee and two zone meetings ( zones 5 & 6 ) plus coping with the usual correspondence which sometimes leaves me feeling etiolated.
Lastly attended the Board meeting held in Wellington mid November.
Retirement Villages
This has not progressed at all since the last Bulletin report there still being disagreement between the government and the Retirement Villages Association regards the Code of Practice.The Senior Citizens Office is involved in the discussions but Ted Gallen was unable to indicate when the Code of Practice would be issued to the Retirement Commissioner who will hold public consultation meetings.
Health
Our visits to Annette King and Ruth Dyson have not resulted in much success but the two Ministers are always willing to speak with us.
We are appalled at the meagre 1% increase in funding for the carer industry by the majority of DHBs.
Canterbury DHB is actually reducing its funding by 20 Million over the next three years – the residential
care industry is in dire straits with funding and the providers of carers for those in their own homes
similarly because of the low level of wages paid to the carers.
The government seems unmoved by the difficulties this industry has where there is no recognition of the time and cost of travel between clients.
With the recognition that the number of elderly is on the increase it does not bode well for the future.
We believe that instead of the long wait that is involved for the specialist ophthalmologists to determine the need for cataract operations that optometrists could provide the same service, but that is unlikely considering the stance that this group took re the employment of overseas surgeons.
Re the removal of some 3000 patients from the active review list of Christchurch Hospital to meet the MoH targets; the Minister was adamant that this is just the slow reaction of the DHB to previous requirements to reduce the waiting lists and the MoH have not issued the supposed regime.- this opinion is contrary to the report appearing in the Chch Press .
Despite the protestations that the waiting lists are being cleared within the nominated six months, figures from Canterbury show that the number waiting more than six months rose from 653 in June to 842 in September.
Also 3803 people have died while waiting for elective surgery since September 2000.
Also since 2001, 10,623 people have gone off surgery waiting lists to have their operations done privately, 17,532 were referred back to their GPs and 7039 were taken off the waiting lists without treatment. This is not the public health system that we want.
50 plus
We have written to the Minister concerning the reduction of the abatement rate for the spouse who is earning more than $80 gross per week.With the accent that is now placed on the value of the older worker and the general shortage of skilled workers in all levels, it would seem very necessary to tap into the labour pool of the older worker.
However the main deterrent is the attitude of the employer who believes that the older worker can not learn new ways of working which of course is a myth.
We await the opportunity to meet with the Minister to persuade him that the older worker should enjoy the same concessions that have recently been applied to widows and those on the DPB where the benefit is rebated, if gross amount earned over $80 per week, by 30 cents in the dollar until $180 is reached when it reverts to 70 cents in the dollar.
Transport Review Committee
We are represented on this 13 member committee where our stance is; the mandatory testing of drivers 80 plus is unnecessary and discriminatory.There are three consumer groups represented, Grey Power, Age Concern and the RNZRSA, the remainder being from the medical professions.
Unfortunately at the first meeting the RNZRSA representative produced a survey which showed that the majority of their members support the retention of the mandatory testing regime.
There are still another four meeting.
We hope to convince the other participants that mandatory testing is not necessary. The main objection seems to be coming from the GP representatives who after all, only issue the medical certificate and do not necessarily have to certify that the person is capable of driving – they have the opportunity if they are uncertain to refer the patient to the Occupational Therapists for their recommendation as to whether the medical certificate should be issued.
Compliments of the season to all.
Kind Regards, Graham StairmandFrom Zone Director Hamish Perry Zone 3
This Zone held a recent meeting at Paeroa which was attended by 32 members representing 17 of the Zone's 21 Associations.
Although some Associations still choose not to attend these meetings it was pleasing to see one or two
smaller Associations represented for some time.
Items of both national and local importance were freely discussed with a democratic majority decisions being accepted.
For some Associations who have less membership an inaugural meeting will be set up in the New Year to assist them to be able to have continued representation at the meetings with reduced travel cost. These Associations are very appreciative of the offer made by the Federation to enable them to send two delegates to the forthcoming AGM without forfeiting the registration subsidy of the one provided for by the Federation
Arrangements for the AGM /Conference to be held in Rotorua 10th to 13th April 2005 are proceeding favourably at this stage.
From Les Howard Zone 6 Director
It has been quite quiet in Zone 6 since the last Bulletin. Zone 6 held a Zone Meeting in Kaiapoi, hosted by North Canterbury Grey Power. This was an excellent meeting although Timaru and Twizel Associations
were not present.
The meeting was attended by the National President, Graham Stairmand and he was made
very welcome particularly as Graham was the previous Zone 6 Director.
Graham was invited to speak on many subjects including Health, Energy and the role of Occupational Therapists in LTSA elderly driving tests.
Discussions were also held on PHOs, the shortage of Audiologists, payouts to criminals, Superannuation and Asset Testing.
It was reported that the Aoraki DHB is investigating some local doctors who have not passed on the required amount of the PHO subsidy to the patients.
Waimate Grey Power reported that they had no problem in getting speakers to their monthly meetings and in fact the Speaker for the November meeting is Ruth Dyson who is also lunching with the association.
Waimate President David Holmes and his Wife/Secretary Klasina also are facilitators for the Safe With Age driving courses.
Incidentally, I attended one of their courses in Timaru and found it very helpful.
Temuka Grey Power reported an increase in membership of 41. In an association of approximately 120 members this is a great increase and I congratulate them on their efforts.
North Canterbury presented those present with a copy of the rates assistance from the Waimakariri District Council and Ashburton nominated one of their members for the Ashburton Borough Council, it was subsequently reported that Jim was elected to the Council.
My standards meetings for Staffing for Aged and Dementia Care and the Dementia Care standards meetings have now concluded. A guidebook is being printed for Staffing and will be available early in 2005. This book would not have been produced but for the presence of Grey Power as the Providers did not want to have a book produced.
The Dementia Care Committee was a particularly good one and their book is being printed also for implementation, also early in 2005. Both Books will be included in the ‘Health & Disability Standard’ when it is reviewed in 2006.
The next Zone meeting is in Ashburton on Monday 7 February 2005.
From Zone 5 Director Ruby Aberhart
The seven Associations in Zone 5 are made up of one city and six predominantly rural Associations.
Nelson City, with a membership at the end of October of 10,000+, lead the way with Marlborough 4,500+.
Other Associations in the Zone continue to build on their memberships and have a high ratio of the eligible
people in their areas according to the latest statistics.
Zone 5 leads the way in New Zealand membership figures.
A challenge to increase membership in the region some 3 years ago at a Zone meeting has certainly been met !!
My congratulations to all the Associations in the Zone who continue to work extremely hard for their members at local, regional and national level.
Local Bodies, Electricity, Health, Superannuation, public meetings and discount schemes are always to the forefront and media coverage is very good.
Concern that the outcome of the recent Nelson Marlborough Districts Health Board elections using STV has adversely affected the representation of rural areas of Golden Bay and Motueka has been expressed to the Minister of Health.
Zone meetings are held three times a year consisting of an evening session where Associations report on what is happening in their areas, ideas are shared and then acted upon. Matters at the more formal session the next day are always strongly debated with recommendations agreed upon being forwarded to the Board and where necessary to the Annual General Meeting in the form of remits.
We appreciated having the knowledge of President Graham Stairmand at the October meeting at which he chaired
the session on “The Role of Zone Director”.
Associations voted unanimously in favour of retaining Zone
Directors on the Board.
The election of Zone Director and Deputy Zone Director will be held in February - this is always a postal ballot with Jack Sturt (Federation Life Member) as returning officer, previously forwarding to the Associations, voting papers and nominations he has received.
Finally, Zone 5 would like to take this opportunity to wish all members a Happy Festive Season.
It is worthy of note that the ‘GP Bulletin’ was ‘born’ because of a resolution passed at an AGM that;
because associations were often unaware of Board activities between AGM’s, some means of communication be
established.
The Bulletin seeks to redress this problem.
Some Board members choose not to contribute and their reasons why should be asked of them and not the editor.
Don Robertson Super & Taxation Spokesperson
Your Superannuation and Taxation Committee has been strenuously lobbying for an increase in the level of New Zealand Superannuation.Alas this has been to no avail. The Government’s position is that their research has shown that most of the retired think that they are doing ok!!
This position total ignores the growing evidence of huge hikes in the price of power, the nation wide furore over massive increases in council and regional rates, to say nothing of the increases in indirect taxation.
The only way your committee sees of achieving action leading to a lift in the level of New Zealand Superannuation is through the Ballot Box.
It is highly unlikely and most undesirable that any political party will ever govern alone again.
Hence the importance of the Party Vote and of the Minor Parties Policies on Superannuation is obvious.
Your Superannuation and Taxation Committee recommends that all associations closely monitor the Superannuation
Policies of all Minor Parties, and that these policies are published in their News Letters.
Item of interest to Members
Commerce Commission warning to Pharmacy Guild: Premiums Guide at risk of contravening Commerce Act Media Release /35The Commerce Commission has issued a warning to the Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand (Inc) that the Guild's Premiums Guide, as published until October 2002, placed the Guild and its members at risk of contravening the Commerce Act, and that the Guild should carefully consider the implications under the Act of any future recommendations it makes to members.
The Commissioner's investigation centred on allegations of price fixing by the Pharmacy Guild and/or its members in respect of mark-ups charged to patients on partially subsidised medicines.
The Commission particularly looked at the implications of the Premiums Guide, a monthly publication detailing ˜premiums™ for pharmacists to charge patients on partially subsidised medicine.
Chair Paula Rebstock said that the investigation found that for 11 years, between 1991 and 2002, the Premiums Guide stipulated, for each partially subsidised medicine, a price which included a 50 percent pharmacist mark-up on the unsubsidised cost.
In the Commissioner's view, the Guide had the effect of communicating to every Guild member a specified price to charge patients on the unsubsidised portion of partly-subsidised medicines.
In addition, every Guild member knew the price a competing Guild member was likely to charge patients for
these medicines, she said.
Ms Rebstock said that while the Commission considered the Guild's historic behaviour was at risk of
being anti-competitive, changes made to the Premiums Guide since the Commission started its investigation
in 2002 meant the current conduct did not raise the same issues.
The Guild still publishes its Premiums Guide, but the prices included now are just the unsubsidised cost of the medicine, and exclude any mark-ups and GST. In addition, the notes at the top of the Guide state that Pharmacies are responsible for determining the mark-up they apply to premium and calculating the resulting patient charges Ms Rebstock said
. The Pharmacy Guild and all associations should ensure that when making any recommendations to members, that those members are advised and are aware that they are subject to the Commerce Act. Arrangements between competitors to fix prices or arrangements that substantially lessen competition is a breach of the Act and will attract enforcement action by the Commerce Commission.
Ms Rebstock added that this case illustrates the problems with information sharing by associations.
Information sharing can facilitate anti-competitive conduct. For example, visibility regarding future prices
could be used to co-ordinate pricing in a particular market.
The Commission considers that it is important
that associations, like the Pharmacy Guild, appreciate the potential competition implications of producing a
document like the Premiums Guide.
Background
The Commission considered the implications of the Guide under sections 27 and 30 of the Commerce Act 1986:
1. section 27 of the Act prohibits contracts, arrangements or understandings that have the purpose or effect
or likely effect of substantially lessening competition; and
2. section 27 via 30 of the Act prohibits contracts, arrangements or understandings that have the purpose
or effect or likely effect of fixing, controlling or maintaining prices. Such arrangements are deemed to have
the effect of substantially lessening competition, regardless of their actual effect.
Media contact:
The problem was that the eligibility criteria for Accommodation Supplement, which are set in law, inadvertently
excluded holders of a license to occupy. This situation is being rectified, and people with high accommodation
costs, a low income and a licence to occupy may now be eligible for Accommodation Supplement.
This may have been so but I am now finding that the reverse is also very much true.
Upon recently sending a letter to all Association Presidents which required a reply by a certain date,
only 47% of Associations even bothered to answer?
The request was for Associations to allow Kiwibank to submit material to be sent out with Association newsletters. Further, although no doubt Kiwibank would be hoping that
many members would seriously consider taking their banking to Kiwibank, there was certainly no compulsion to
do that in order to participate in the offer.
I can now accept what longer serving Board members have assured me; never expect more than half of those
requested to answer.
The moral of this story is that if/when hearing delegates complaining in the future about a lack of
communication from the Board, I will have no hesitation in relying that “as ye sow so shall ye reap”.
Despite that I am open to having my mind changed. I have altered the dates and have sent out another letter
to Association Presidents. Do please reply to this if only to convince me that I as well as the longer
serving Board members am wrong.
PHO's Concern over mis-understandings.
The results werein order of importance:
Although Prescription charges came out as number 3, the committee felt that with the recent announcement
by Government on these charges they may not now be so important for many members. Associations should address any material they have for publication to Election Strategy
Committee, 12 Paremata Drive, Paremata, Porirua 6006.
We would like to thank all the members who submitted entries for the election campaign slogan competition.
The most recent membership figures indicate that for the first time (?) the oft quoted but inaccurate total
number of members of 80,000 is truly a fact ! Well done. But,
What part did your association play in this increase?
Compliments of the Season to all from the Bulletin
Jackie Maitland, Communications Manager
Phone work (04) 924 3708, mobile 029 924 3708 Accommadation Supplement
Superannuitants who are receiving the Accommodation Supplement and who have other income will benefit from the
removal of the abatement of Accommodation Supplement for people who are on benefits or receiving New
Zealand Superannuation.
Older people receiving an Accommodation Supplement may also benefit from the increase in the Accommodation
Supplement maxima (the maximum amount of Accommodation Supplement that can be paid in a particular area)
and the changes in the Accommodation Supplement area definitions.
This benefit will apply in cases where,
as at 1 April 2005, a superannuitant is receiving the maximum Accommodation Supplement and living in a location
where the maximum is increased.
The changes in their Accommodation Supplement will happen automatically, and it will not matter if they have
children or not.
Another related budget initiative is that people living in a retirement village under a 'licence to occupy'
will no longer be automatically excluded from receiving Accommodation Supplement.
It is estimated that about 300 retirement village residents will benefit from this initiative, which has a
proposed implementation date of July 2005.From Board Secretary Bill Atkinson
Prior to taking my position on the Board and when attending Conferences, I would often hear comments from
Association delegates that it was not considered that the Board did enough to communicate with Associations.
Had this request been successfully met, it would have involved individual Grey Power members receiving advice
of a compelling offer from Kiwibank which would have been very beneficial to participants.
The offer would be solely for Grey Power members.
This has been a sore and penetrating lesson to me, who had faith that these Board
members would be proven wrong??ZONE SEVEN from Zone Director Dick Stark
A good Zone Meeting at which the following issues were discussed.
AGM VENUES Confirmed that AGM should be alternated one Year South Island, next year North Island.
SUPERANUATION - ACCOUNTING ISSUES MEMBERSHIP
POLICE NUMBERS still a need for extra police
DRUG PROBLEMS - MEDIA ADVERTISING CAPPING OF RATES
PAN TAX AT REST HOMES - TELEPHONE MENUS - RESUSCITATION IN REST HOMES.From Peter Rutledge Zone 4 Director and chair Election Strategy Committee.
"The results of the survey conducted to determine the issues of most concern to members have now been
collated and analysed. The first five of these will form the main thrust of our strategy next year,
but the other matters may be touched on as and when necessary.
It is realised that
there are still some areas where the lower charges are not yet applied, we believe that these can be targeted by
the local associations with all local community newspapers and we will be sending out releases to them on issues
as they arise.
We will send out more information on this as we
get nearer the time for the start of the campaign.
There were a large number of them and selecting the winning entry was quite difficult. However we are
pleased to announce the prize has been awarded to Margaret Cannon of Palmerston North for her entry
"Grey Power is Voting Power".
Have you compared your present membership against
that of last year? With an election year approaching we should not rest on our laurels but continue to
maintain this upsurge in membership.
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