Our meeting next month will be devoted to our 2026 Annual General Meeting; an occasion where we review our activities during the past year and commit to programme for 2026/27 and onwards.

Throughout the past decade our local and nation-wide advocacy has been unable to maintain its former high-profile recognition before local and central government as the ‘foremost advocacy group’ for ‘older people’ and their families.

At its height our financial membership New Zealand wide exceeded 90,000 individuals, the majority representative of the ‘60–70’ years cohort, with a strong sense of community cohesion and retaining the ‘management’ and ‘people’ skills accumulated through their personal contributions to a relatively stable national economy. At parliamentary level our advocates were influential and their entreaties were recognised as a ‘barometer’ to the mood and preferences of an engaged electorate.

The process of aging has decimated our ranks. Attrition has reduced our financial membership to approximately 30,000 and our ‘leadership’ resources are in need of replenishment with newly retired, competent and community- minded volunteers. The unique platform for expression before local and central politicians of positive provision for fundamental well-being imperatives still available to Grey Power spokespeople, needs to be embraced by newly retired ‘champions’ and regrouped for effectiveness in a changing economic environment.

Grey Power New Zealand Federation is committed to reconstruction and vitalisation of our advocacy services. It will take determined effort to revive our former ethos. An ‘election’ year is a good time to restore our resolve and dispel any remaining apathy by articulating the ‘fundamental’ requirements of an inter-dependent society where ‘people’ considerations are not ‘submerged’ by commercial interest.

In the meantime, at local level we have to consolidate and operate within our fragile ‘people’ resources. We have managed to hold together an outstanding ‘caretaker’ core within our management committee but as individuals they could be incapacitated by quickly deteriorating health. There are immediate vacancies across the full complement of ‘officers’ and ‘committee members’; either as fully competent and very welcome ‘ready to serve’ candidates or younger talent needing introductory support from our core ‘caretaker’ group.

Social isolation is best avoided and participation in our community is best achieved by bringing like-minded older people together at regular frequency, encouraging them to maintain their electoral franchise to ensure their grandchildren will continue to find opportunity in a ‘people friendly’ economic environment.

Following withdrawal or displacement from the ‘job market’ everyone is on a journey to eventual dependency on their community for physical and emotional support.

These considerations are our reasonable expectations of the support we might seek from the communities we have faithfully served in our ‘productive’ life-times. We can but hope our community leaders will hear our appeals, endorse their worthiness and help us encourage participation by our future ‘champions’ by resisting ‘higher authority’s’ present attempt to bypass the fundamental rules of social order to facilitate a ‘failing’ economic system.

Authorised by:

Lew Rohloff
Vice President
Upper Hutt Grey Power Association

mail to: lew.rohloff14@gmail.com

A “thank you” to Lew Rohloff for sending this article to The Upper Hutt Connection.

16/06/26