Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland is the largest and most diverse region in Aotearoa New Zealand. Auckland Council’s role is to make decisions and deliver services that support the wellbeing of our communities. This includes maintaining and developing accessible parks and reserves, providing affordable and inclusive community services and facilities, and ensuring Aucklanders’ diverse voices are reflected in our policies and decisions. Many of our existing services, programmes and infrastructure already cater for older people, but we know we need to do more.

To make Auckland a more age-friendly region, we have developed Tāmaki Makaurau Tauawhi Kaumātua – Age-friendly Auckland Action Plan (Action Plan). The Action Plan responds to the views and aspirations of our older Aucklanders to ensure their needs are met now and into the future. It is a deliberate commitment to improving the age-friendliness of Auckland and supporting older people to participate fully in their communities.

The Action Plan is a cross-sector plan that aims to enable and encourage collaboration between the council, aged-sector organisations, and communities to achieve collective impact for an age-friendly and inclusive Auckland. The plan identifies important actions that the council and key partner organisations are working on to improve older people’s wellbeing.

The Action Plan also aligns well with Better Later Life He Oranga Kaumātua 2019 to 2034, our national strategy for the wellbeing of older people. The actions Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland takes will also support Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing.

Other parts of Aotearoa / New Zealand have not needed to apply the same level of public health restrictions as Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland to prevent the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 has also disproportionately impacted older people in Tāmaki Makaurau compared to other age groups. Older people have spent the longest period in isolation, restricted from leaving their homes, having visitors and told to remain in doors. Older people have proven to be at greater risk not only from COVID-19 fatalities but also from stress and other mental health issues that may lead to illness.

As we move towards a ‘living with’ COVID-19 world, it is important that efforts to rebuild and enhance social connections are supported. Literature and the lessons learned from the ongoing pandemic have highlighted disparities in our older population, including access to support services and online communications. Age-friendly actions provide the council and other organisations an opportunity to apply these lessons to support resilience and social participation.

Staff worked with a range of organisations and communities who are active in advancing the wellbeing of older Aucklanders. Together we identified work already underway so to build on what exists as well as developing actions that will address the challenges and opportunities raised by older Aucklanders. This approach:
• enables collaboration between the council, aged-sector organisations, and
communities
• creates opportunities to leverage resources and deliver greater collective
impact
• develops an action platform for organisations to build upon
• encourages interest and participation from other organisations to be part of
delivery
• recognises that improving the age-friendliness of Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland
relies on many different groups and agencies playing their part
• ensures the delivery of actions that have impact for older Aucklanders of all
ethnicities, abilities, and beliefs.

The Action Plan and Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Age-friendly Auckland Framework incorporates the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to support Māori aspirations.

Over time the Action Plan will help embed an age-friendly approach to the way the council and partners design and deliver services and infrastructure. This will result in ongoing and incremental change that will make a tangible impact on the lives of older people.