Are We Prepared to Care for an Ageing Aotearoa?

Brook Turner, partnership manager for Vision West, joins Andrew Curtis to discuss whether New Zealand is adequately preparing to look after its elderly as the over-75 population doubles by 2047 and aged care costs balloon from $2.5 billion to a projected $4.6 billion annually. He warns that short-term political thinking, privatisation of health services, and unsuitable medium-density housing are pushing the country towards a two-tier system where quality elder care becomes a privilege rather than a universal right.

Turner argues for boosting KiwiSaver contribution rates into double figures, introducing government-funded KiwiSaver accounts for children at birth, and rethinking retirement housing typologies to suit ageing bodies. Rather than means-testing superannuation, he proposes a more nuanced model linking eligibility to working hours and job type, recognising that labourers in physically demanding industries may need super earlier than office workers, while also urging churches and communities to step up through practical initiatives and intergenerational wealth planning.

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