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| Welcome to the April 2024 edition of the Seniors Newsletter. |
April means new rates for NZ Super. It is also the time to book a free flu jab to avoid coming down with the flu over winter.
As Anzac Day approaches, we hear from two long-standing Poppy Day collectors about the pride they get from serving a worthwhile cause.
The Winter Energy Payment begins in May. You have the option to opt out, which you can do later this month.
We asked the New Zealand Dental Association for advice on keeping your teeth healthy. Have you thought about getting your hearing checked? You may be entitled to discounts on hearing tests, using your SuperGold card.
As the cost of living bites, the Grocery Commissioner reveals how he is going to reshape the sector.
If you have a Gmail account, you may not be able to see the whole newsletter, including the SuperGold offers. Click View in Browser at the top of this email, to see the rest of the newsletter.
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| Minister for Seniors Casey Costello |
Over the past two months, I have enjoyed getting out and visiting various organisations and learning more about issues affecting older New Zealanders. 
It has brought home the tremendous work of community based and volunteer services who advocate for our seniors. I’ve met with long-established and well-known groups like Age Concern, Grey Power, and the Māori Women’s Welfare League, and more specialised groups such as Alzheimers NZ, Eldernet, and the NZ Federation of Multicultural Councils. It has also reinforced the range of issues we need to think about to make sure older New Zealanders are well-served.
As well as being Seniors Minister, I have been made the Associate Minister of Health, responsible for aged care and dementia care which gives me a unique opportunity to focus on the health and needs of older people, and to drive our Government’s commitments in this area.
We need a sustainable funding model for aged care. The problem may have been around for a while, but I want to see something done about this and hope to be able to talk to the sector – and you – about options later this year.
You may have seen that last month the Aged Care Commissioner released her report with 20 recommendations for the sector. She emphasised the complexity of navigating health services, showing a need for integration and better communication, which I agree with.
I was also pleased to see the Commissioner acknowledge the importance of Home and Community Support Services (HCSS) in keeping people well in their communities longer. Many people assume retirement villages are the only path as they get older, but it is just one in a range of housing options available to older people, and something else I’ll be pursuing is how we ensure there are choices around how and where seniors live. |
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| Annual Increase to NZ Super |
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New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension payments are adjusted each year to reflect increases in the cost of living (inflation), and the average wage.
From Monday 1 April, fortnightly rates have increased to:
- $922.82 each before tax or $799.18 each after ‘M’ tax, for a married person or partner in a civil union or de facto relationship.
- $1213.34 before tax or $1038.94 after ‘M’ tax for a single or widowed person living alone.
- $1116.62 before tax or $959.02 after ‘M’ tax for a single or widowed person sharing accommodation.
Your payment for Tuesday 9 April will be partly paid at the new rates. Your first full payment at the new rate will be in your pay on Tuesday 23 April 2024.
For a full summary of the new rates, tax codes and other changes that may impact you (such as Family Tax Credits, or Unsupported Child Benefit rates) visit the link below. |
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| Protect yourself, get your free flu vaccine |
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Getting an annual flu vaccine is your best possible defence from catching or spreading the flu, and it’s free if you’re over 65.
The flu vaccine changes each year to help protect you against the most common expected flu strains. Although having the vaccine doesn’t guarantee you won’t catch the flu, it reduces your risk of serious illness if you do catch it.
Get your free flu vaccine from your healthcare provider. Many pharmacies also offer the flu vaccine. To book, visit BookMyVaccine.nz or call the Vaccination Healthline on 0800 28 29 26, 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Booking your flu vaccine is a good time to ask your healthcare provider about other vaccines, including a COVID-19 booster, tetanus booster or shingles vaccine. It's safe to have the flu vaccine at the same time as these immunisations. The shingles vaccine is free for 12 months after your 65th birthday. |
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| The faces of Poppy Day |
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Each April on Poppy Day, volunteers line the streets to collect donations and gift poppies in return. And in Cambridge, Waikato, there are two stalwarts with 60 years of collecting between them.
Shirley Wetiford (85, right) has been volunteering as a collector for the Poppy Appeal for over 20 years. She served in the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps and is a veteran of Malaya.
She said it was great to engage with the public, with her military ribbons a guaranteed conversation-starter.
“I just love meeting people. When I’m wearing my military ribbons, I find people who don’t know much about the services, or the Returned and Services' Association (RSA), then stand and talk for a while,” she said.
Gwen Dobson (84, left) has collected for the Poppy Appeal since the early 80s. She previously served in the Navy. She said the RSA was a safe space for veterans.
“People come together and remember the things that perhaps they can’t talk to other people about. We’re like a family,” she said.
Gwen and Shirley are both active members of the Cambridge RSA, regularly meeting to share memories and create new ones.
They said they enjoyed public interactions while collecting.
“It’s surprising how much the older veterans like to come up and talk and share some of their memories,” Gwen said. “I hope the younger ones will start coming up and sharing their stories in the future too.”
Shirley added, “I’m always surprised with the way people put notes into the collection bucket, not just a few coins. I mean, they give a few coins if they only have a few coins – but I’m always surprised at how much money people give.”
The RSA’s Poppy Appeal has been running for over 100 years, and the red poppy has become New Zealand’s recognised symbol of remembrance.
For over 108 years, the Royal New Zealand RSA has been supporting New Zealand’s veterans of military service and their whānau (family).
As a charitable organisation, the RSA relies on volunteers to deliver many of its support services. The collections help to fund support for veterans across the country every day. |
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| Winter Energy Payment |
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The Winter Energy Payment is starting again on Wednesday 1 May.
The Payment is to help with the cost of keeping your home warm and dry, and other costs over winter.
If you get NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension, you will be entitled to get the Winter Energy Payment all winter, from Wednesday 1 May until Tuesday 1 October. The payment is made automatically, you don’t need to apply.
When you receive NZ Super on Tuesday 7 May it will include a part Winter Energy Payment. Your first full Winter Energy Payment will be on Tuesday 21 May.
Couples and people with dependent children will get $31.82 a week. Single, and widowed, people will get $20.46 a week.
Couples will receive a combined payment which is made to one person in the couple – unfortunately we can’t split it, but we can switch it to the other person’s account. Please get in touch if you want to do so by calling the seniors line on 0800 552 002.
If you are overseas
If you are overseas during this period, or you are already in another country on Tuesday 1 May, you can keep getting the Winter Energy Payment for up to 28 days (or four weeks).
You must tell MSD if you’ll be away for more than 28 days, otherwise you could be paid incorrectly. If this happens, you may be required to pay some money back.
The easiest way to let MSD know about your travel is using the ‘Overseas travel dates for NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension’ online form, or giving them a call on 0800 552 002. You will also need to tell MSD when you return, so your payment can be started again.
If you don’t want to get it
If you get NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension, you’ll receive the Winter Energy Payment automatically, along with your fortnightly payments. If you don’t want to get Winter Energy Payment, you can opt out by either:
If you’ve opted out in the past and want to get this payment again, you can fill in the same form, or contact us on 0800 552 002 (Mon-Fri 7am-6pm and Saturday 8am-1pm). |
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| Covid-19 update |
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Covid-19 Vaccine
A new COVID vaccine for the XBB.1.5 strain has been approved to administer in New Zealand. This vaccine is more effective against recent subvariants of COVID.
The XBB vaccine is especially recommended for those who are more likely to get seriously unwell if they get COVID. This includes:
• people aged over 65
• Māori and Pacific people aged over 50
• residents of aged care facilities
• severely immunocompromised people
It is recommended you wait at least 6 months since you had any other COVID vaccine or infection.
People who have had the previous COVID-19 vaccination are still expected to have protection against severe disease from recent Omicron subvariants.
Rapid antigen tests remain free
Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will remain free for the public until Sunday 30 June. You can continue to pick up free RATs for yourself and household members from participating pharmacies and RAT collection centres.
Find a collection centre near you: COVID-19 Testing • Healthpoint
If you live rurally, have a disability, are immunocompromised or experience some other difficulty getting RATs, you may be eligible for additional help, including delivery if necessary.
To find out if you are eligible, call 0800 222 478. |
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| Check your smoke alarms |
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Remember to turn your clocks back one hour on Sunday 7 April.
It is also time to check your smoke alarm, as advised by Fire and Emergency New Zealand. To check your alarm, press the test button (or use a broom handle) to sound the alarm. Every six months, vacuum or dust your smoke alarms to help avoid false alarms.
If you have a smoke alarm with an old 9-volt battery, it’s time to upgrade to a long-life photoelectric alarm which lasts about 10 years. Until you do, you need to replace the old 9-volt battery every year. These alarms will start to beep or ‘chirp’ regularly when the battery is low and needs replacing. |
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| Checking your hearing |
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Looking after your hearing is important for many reasons.
Even a mild hearing loss can have life-long impacts on education, social wellbeing and mental health.
Consider getting your hearing checked if you have experienced any of the following.
- Often need to ask people to repeat what they are saying.
- Have trouble understanding a conversation or mishear people in a group or when there’s background noise.
- Need to turn up the volume on the TV to be able to hear it comfortably.
- Tend to avoid some social situations because too much background noise makes it hard to hear conversations.
- Feel tired after trying to listen or being part of a conversation for a while.
- Find you need to move closer to a speaker to hear what they are saying.
- Need to see people’s faces to understand what they’re saying.
- Find it difficult to know where sounds are coming from.
You can find discounts for hearing appointments at clinics around the country by using your SuperGold card.
If you decide to get hearing aids, you may be entitled financial assistance. What you're entitled to will depend on your situation.
The Ministry of Health’s Hearing Aid Subsidy Scheme provides $511.11 (including GST) per hearing aid to adults (over the age of 16) who have a permanent hearing loss and need a hearing aid, are New Zealand residents who ordinarily live in New Zealand and are not covered under the Hearing Aid Funding Scheme.
You may be able to get help towards the cost of hearing aids from ACC or Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand. If you can get help from either of these organisations, you cannot also get support from the Ministry of Health’s Hearing Aid Subsidy Scheme.
The subsidy for each hearing aid is available no more than once every six years. The Hearing Aid Subsidy Scheme does not cover any additional costs for hearing assessments or hearing aid fitting services that audiology services may charge. See here for more information.
You may also be eligible for funding in other forms such as your community services card or Disability Allowance. Find out more below. |
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| Getting more competition in your shopping trolley |
 Grocery Commissioner: Pierre van Heerden
Since starting in my role as Grocery Commissioner last year, I’ve been working with my team to introduce New Zealand’s first-ever regulatory regime for the $25 billion grocery sector.
Established under the Grocery Industry Competition Act, this new regime aims to drive the sector to be more competitive for the benefit of all New Zealanders.
I want to see evidence of healthy competition in your supermarket shopping trolley. This means creating long-term, sustainable change, that gives you more choice, better prices, and more innovative ways to shop. This will also create new business opportunities for producers, suppliers, and retailers big and small.
We are also monitoring the implementation of a wholesale regime and grocery supply code as regulatory requirements for major supermarkets. These new requirements will create a level playing field for grocery suppliers and encourage new and expanding grocery retailers to compete.
Our newly developed “whistleblower” tool in the sector aims to expose practices and conduct that might affect a competitive sector. We launched this because we’re aware of situations where players in the grocery sector, such as suppliers, may believe they are being mistreated by a major supermarket, but are concerned about being disadvantaged if they share information with the Commission.
If you would like to read more about our work under the new grocery regime, head to our website here.
The Commerce Commission has opened investigations into the major supermarkets under the Fair Trading Act. Our investigations are considering whether certain pricing and promotional practices of Woolworths NZ, Foodstuffs North Island and Foodstuffs South Island comply with the Act.
In general, if you think any businesses including a supermarket might be breaching one of the laws that the Commerce Commission enforces, we encourage you to report that information via our website.
A well-functioning grocery market is one that will bring benefits to consumers, as well as everyone involved in the industry. As consumers, we encourage you to continue exploring your grocery options if you can. Through shopping around, you are helping to drive competition and can benefit from better pricing, quality, and ranges on offer.
We will continue implementing the new grocery regime, carrying out investigations in the sector and calling out any concerning behaviour, acting where needed, so we can deliver on our long-term goal of a better, well-functioning and competitive grocery market.
That’s how we’ll get more competition into your shopping trolley! |
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| Keeping up oral hygiene, Dental Association |
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No matter what age, it is important to maintain your dental hygiene.
We asked the New Zealand Dental Association about the best way to keep your mouth healthy.
Ageing affects our mouth, just like the rest of our body. It's important to care for our teeth and the structures in our mouth to promote a healthy lifestyle. Healthy teeth help us to chew our food properly, speak and maintain our appearance.
Caring for our teeth and gums includes brushing with fluoride toothpaste twice a day, using a soft bristled toothbrush, and eating balanced diet that is low in sugar. It is also advisable to visit the dentist annually for a thorough examination and professional cleaning. Dental check-ups are the best way to identify any oral health problems in their early stages and receiving guidance on maintaining good oral hygiene.
Electric toothbrushes can be easier to use for individuals who may have dexterity issues or difficulty with manual brushing. These toothbrushes have oscillating or rotating bristle heads to remove plaque more effectively while requiring less physical effort. The manual toothbrush or the head of the electric toothbrush should be replaced every three months or when the bristles become frayed.
Additionally, it is important to properly clean dentures to prevent issues such as soreness, bad breath, bacterial build-up that can impact overall health, and cause the formation of tartar or hard deposits. Remove dentures from the mouth and rinse them after every meal, this helps to get rid of any food debris. Dentures should be cleaned thoroughly twice daily.
It is also important to allow the gums to rest by taking dentures out overnight, cleaning them, and soaking them in a glass of water with a cleaner such as Steradent or Polident. Remember to remove partial dentures at night and before cleaning natural teeth.
When cleaning your dentures, remember to place a clean washcloth or paper towel in the sink to prevent them from breaking if accidentally dropped. Avoid using regular toothpaste, as it can cause scratches on the dentures. Instead, use a denture brush or a soft toothbrush with mild soap or water from a denture soaking solution to gently brush all tooth surfaces.
For partial dentures, be careful not to bend the metal clasps. If they are bent, consult a dentist for adjustments. After brushing, soak the dentures overnight in a glass of water with denture cleaning agents. Follow the instructions on the packaging for the appropriate soaking time, as different products may vary. For dentures with metal parts, use products specifically designed for them.
Drinking water regularly, chewing sugar free gum can help stimulate your salivary flow and keep your mouth adequately hydrated. This is especially important when managing certain medical conditions or using prescribed medications that may lead to dry mouth. Dry mouth increases the risk of tooth decay, gum disease and discomfort while wearing dentures.
The New Zealand Dental Association offers free workshops about supporting the oral health of older adults among other resources. See the website for more information or contact the NZDA Oral Health Promotion Manager.
You may be able to get discounts for dental care using your SuperGold Card. |
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| How to spot scams: Netsafe |
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Online and telephone scams are one of the top concerns among older adults, according to research from Netsafe, Age Concern, Digital Seniors, and 20/20 Trust.
Scammers are increasingly sophisticated and can create fake webpages and other copycat channels that may appear legitimate. A general rule of thumb is never click on any weblinks you receive by text message or in emails and never give out key information such as passwords, bank logins and pin numbers.
It’s something we need to consider when shopping, banking and even looking for companionship online.
Many of us are conditioned to be polite when we receive an email or a phone call, but even if you think it’s from a legitimate organisation, it’s always best to double check, so don’t be afraid to hang up or stop replying.
SCAMS is a simple acronym to help you identify red flags:
- Surprise: Is the message or problem unexpected?
- Control: Are you being pressured to make quick decisions or switch communication platforms?
- Access: Is there a request for personal information or passwords?
- Money: Are you being asked to make online payments?
- Stop: If you spot any of these warning signs, stop communicating
Netsafe’s helpline team are happy to assist with advice. Call on 0508 638 723 or email help@netsafe.org.nz However, if you lost money to a scammer, you must notify your bank immediately.
The Get Set Up for Safety programme – targeted at older people -- includes helpful guides and other free educational resources covering six different topics including safe social media use and how to spot a scam.
Discover the complete suite of "Get Set Up for Safety" resources on Netsafe’s website, which includes printable materials in both English and te reo Māori, as well as instructional videos. |
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| Zero Data |
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Accessing online information is important, and thanks to Zero Data, all New Zealand’s sponsored websites have been brought together in one place.
If you use a website on Zero Data, you won’t be charged for data usage.
There is a range of websites including MyMSD, Healthpoint, HealthEd, Gambling Helpline and Healthify.
Zero Data is available to anyone using a mobile device connected to the Spark, Skinny, One NZ, 2degrees, Warehouse Mobile, Slingshot or Orcon mobile networks.
Make sure your mobile data is turned on, click on your internet browser (e.g. Safari or Google Chrome) and go to Zero Data. This will show you the websites you can apply to Zero Data. Click on the website you wish to visit.
Zero Data isn’t available for any device using a broadband/fibre connection, for example, if your mobile device is connected to your home internet via Wi-Fi.
Some website content such as online payment systems may be unavailable through Zero Data due to technical limitations. You’ll receive an error message if you try to access non-sponsored content or if you follow a link to a non-sponsored website.
If you need to access non-sponsored content or websites from your mobile device without using any of your data, you may get free internet at your local library, educational institution or marae.
Cheap as data
‘Cheap as’ data’ applies to websites that automatically consume little/no data on Spark, One NZ, 2degrees and Skinny mobile networks.
These websites include
• Work and Income
• StudyLink
• Ministry of Social Development
• Kimi Mahi Mai - Find a Job.
• MyMSD
• Apply online and Apply for NZ Super
• MyStudyLink and
• RealMe registration on the Department of Internal Affair's website |
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| Advocating for accessibility is Lower Hutt man’s own remedy |
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Advocating for older and disabled people fills a Lower Hutt man’s desire to be mentally and physically active in his community.
Grant Rutherford convenes Wheels and Canes – a Hutt Valley group that advocates for accessibility in our places and spaces, not only for seniors, but for all locals who may use wheels and canes to get about.
He has worked to identify footpaths that needed to be more accessible.
“I’ll keep working to ensure the rights of people with mobility issues are
at the centre of decision-making,” Grant said.
He said getting face time was the key to building relationships.
“I can’t easily read or write. My superpower is talking, so I’ve learnt how to use that to solve the problems of people in my community.
“Relationships are at the heart of everything.”
He hosts monthly hui (meetings) with a strong line up of speakers throughout the year, such as councillors, MPs and national experts.
Grant lives with depression and the early stages of Alzheimers Disease. He’s learnt that keeping fully occupied -- both physically and mentally -- he can positively impact his wellbeing while making a difference. He also attends the local Ageing Well network and hosts the Hutt Valley Essential Tremors Group.
He advocates for learning new skills, having recently taken up art lessons.
“It’s the first time I’ve done something like this since I was 15 years old. I had no idea what I was doing, and it’s come out all right”.
Hutt City Council Programmes and Innovations Manager Mindi Clews said Grant was her go-to expert to make the city more accessible.
“There’s not much I love more about my role than spending time learning from our community. Grant is a great teacher.” |
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