Grey Power September 2019

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NZ GREYPOWER MAGAZINE » SEPTEMBER 2019
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS
MAGAZINE COMMITTEE
REPORT
The changes we have made to the magazine
in the last 12 months continue
to be well-received, although we still
have more changes to make and some
fine tuning.
We still get the odd complaint about
the amount of advertising appearing in
the magazine. However, it is important
that the members remember that it’s
the advertising that pays the bills. I personally
think that we have the balance
about right. However, what we need
to look at is the amount of space being
given to Standing Committee Reports
and National Advisory Group Reports.
Although it is necessary to continue to
provide this information to the membership
at large, we need to look at condensing
the reports to a more manageable
level. We will discuss this at the next
Board meeting.
On a serious note, our magazine editor,
Lisa Potter is still unwell. She has
been on sick leave for some months
and although she is now out of hospital,
we have been advised that she has
agreed with NM Media to step down
from her role at Grey Power and focus
on her health and other commitments.
We send Lisa our very best wishes for a
successful recovery and return to work.
David Porter has now taken over the
editorship of our magazine. Many of
you will have seen David at the AGM
taking photographs and conducting interviews.
David edited Issue 38 – June
2019 Issue and did an excellent job. Our
thanks to David.
Please keep in mind if you have a
story that is interesting or amusing,
send it to me for consideration for publishing.
Last but not least, I was quoted in
the last magazine in an article titled
“Chequeless banking not welcome” as
saying, “Kiwibank was the only ‘banked’
owned by New Zealanders.”What I in
fact said was, “Kiwibank was the only
‘major bank’ owned by New Zealanders”,
which is in fact correct.
Mac Welch
Chair Magazine Committee.
ADVOCACY, ELECTION STRAT-
EGY, RESEARCH AND SUPER-
GOLD CARD
1. The main objective: to ensure
that the Grey Power NZ Federation
Advocacy Standing Committee carries
out the organisation’s advocacy
aims through well researched, i.e.
evidence-based, efficient, effective
advocacy by lobbying, involvement
in submissions etc.
2. The action items completed for
the reporting period are:
- the lobby report part one has been
supplied for the June Grey Power
Quarterly magazine.
- the lobby report part two (delayed
until responses had been received
from decision-makers) has now
been prepared for the September
Grey Power Quarterly magazine.
- the 2019 AGM remits have been
allocated to the relevant National
Advisory Groups to enable them to
provide information to the lobby
team.
3. Summary of accomplishments
since the AGM:
Submissions on the use of cannabis
in various forms namely cannabidiol
(cbd) for medicinal purposes (ACC
National Advisory Group) and on
the Climate Change Response (Zero
Carbon) Amendment Bill (P. Matcham)
have been written
4. List of activities for the next
three months:
4.1 A lobby visit is likely to be arranged
at a date still to be decided
Possible dates for visits are:
• September 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19;
• October 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24;
• November 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19,
20, and 21;
• December 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18,
and 19.
4.2 The likely issues for the next lobby
visit as previously decided by the
Board or the AGM or recommended
by National Advisory Group chairs
are:
Energy:
The delayed release of the Electricity
Price Review and the recommendations
of the panel. Ask the Minister
of Energy why the delay.
Finance and Investment:
- A cashless society = our views to
the Reserve Bank
- to follow-up on mobile banks or
all-purpose banking hub – see
2019 remit 13
- Kickstart Kiwisaver = $1000.00
- Establishment of a Bank Deposit
Guarantee Scheme in New Zealand
– at present under review- https://
treasury.govt.nz/publications/
resource/questions-and-answersphase-2-review-reserve-bank-actsecond-round-consultation
Social Services, Fifty Plus and
Superannuation and Taxation:
- Changes to superannuitants
non-qualifying partners MSD policy
– see discussion paper.
Aged Care:
- Re-assessment of home care -
people assessed as able to receive
home care to be re-assessed at six
monthly intervals by an approved
InterRAI assessor before any reduction
of care hours can occur
- InterRAI Assessment- anyone undergoing
an Inter Rai Assessment
should have a support person present
unless they actively decline -
NB This is a human and disability
right for consumers.
- Home cares – request the Minister
of Health to ensure the delivery
of home care by District Health
Boards to be based on need as assessed
by Home Care Inte RAI assessment
and that the level of care
be delivered at the same level by all
of the 20 District Health Boards.
- Aged Care Commissioner
ACC – medicinal cannabis
Miscellaneous- 2017 Remit 10 = to lobby
the Minister of Primary Industries
to have the small print on packaging
to be able to be read without the aid of
a magnifying glass, e.g. font size and a
similar request re small print on legal
documents.
Remit 7 – parent reunification
Remit 9 – dental hygiene services
for older people
Remit 10 – prescription of NZ post
services = review of deed of understanding
etc.
Remit 11 – a cost effective way to improve
literacy
Remit 12 – consumer/customer representation
on state-owned enterprise
boards
Remit 13 – prescription of Kiwibank
services - lobby Government to establish
a Deed of Understanding with
Kiwibank in addition to its annual
Statement of Intent, which sets out
the requirements for Kiwibank as a
public entity to consult with communities
about location of Kiwibanks
Remit 15 – financial assistance for
local body, social and pensioner
housing portfolios
Remit 16 – the internet as an essential
service
Remit 18 – financial incentives re
discounted bulk mailing rates with
NZPO and DX
(See the 2019 remits for full
information)
ELECTION STRATEGY – the following
activities for the 2019 local body
elections have occurred:
a) Memorandum to associations re
ideas for candidates’ meetings etc.
b) Memorandum from the Health
National Advisory Group chair re
candidates for DHB elections.
c) Article in the June Grey Power
Quarterly magazine providing advice/ideas
on candidates’ meetings
SUPERGOLD CARD – no action re
this at this time except to note from the
budget provision for a phone app to enable
easier access to gold card discounts
5. Recommendation to the Board:
5.1 That National Advisory Group
chairs advise the Board on other lobby
issues for the next lobby visit
5.2 That the report be adopted.
Co-Chairs: Mac Welch and Jan
Pentecost
FINANCE AND INVESTMENT
The president and myself were invited
to a meeting held in Auckland with
several charitable societies and two
representatives from Kiwibank. The focus
of the meeting was for the charities
to voice their concerns with Kiwibank
about the removal of cheques. As most
of their donations come from the older
sector of the population, they consider
that they will miss out on receiving
millions of dollars.
Kiwibank was very firm that it has
made the decision to do away with
cheques and would not be changing
that decision. We will be kept informed
of any actions the group may take.
The Bankers Association have a set
of guidelines to help the elderly meet
the needs of Older and Disabled customers.
These are now part of the code
of Banking Practice and are therefore
mandatory. The link is https://www.
nzba.org.nz/consumer-information/
code-banking-practice/o;der-anddidabled-customer-guidelines/
Banks other than Kiwibank have
a focus to encourage customers away
from using cheques by increasing the
clearance fee to 75 cents per cheque,
as well as lengthening the time that it
takes to clear a cheque. Some businesses
are now refusing to accept cheques
for payment.
I asked the Reserve Bank if a cheque
is legal tender and they have replied that
cheques are not legal tender. Cheques
are covered by the Cheques Act.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/
public/1960;0017/latest/whole.html
The Reserve Bank on 7 August announced
that it had reduced the Official
Cash Rate (OCR) to 1.0 percent
to meet its employment and inflation
objectives.
And there is continued speculation
that interest rates could be reduced
even further by the Reserve Bank. Any
reduction of interest rates is a concern
to members who rely on earnings from
investments to supplement their income
from superannuation.
It is important that we continue to
advocate for a Bank Deposit Insurance
to be established in New Zealand to
protect those with bank deposits in case
banks get into a position whereby that
they are unable to repay the investment
to investors.
Recommendation:
That the Advocacy Committee continue
to advocate for the establishment of a
Bank Deposit Guarantee Scheme to be
established in New Zealand.
That the report be adopted.
R Reid
Chair Finance and Investment
Committee
LEGAL, REGULATIONS AND RE-
MITS
Exposure Draft Incorporated Societies
Act 1908 Review
The Government has agreed to update
legislation that applies to the more
than 23,000 incorporated societies that
operate in New Zealand.
In May 2019 the Cabinet Economic
Development Committee invited the
Minister of Commerce and Consumer
Affairs to issue drafting instructions
to the Parliamentary Counsel Office
to amend the draft bill and invited the
Minister of Commerce and Consumer
Affairs to report back to Cabinet with
the final text of the draft bill later in
2019, with a view to its introduction to
the House.
By-Law Updates
The following By-Laws have been
updated in accordance with the June
2019 Board Minutes:
• By-Law 3 – Proxy Votes:
o The Form 3B page numbering has
been corrected
o The correct clause number from
the Federation Constitution has
been inserted
• By-Law 6 – Remits:
o The ‘Association Remits’ section
of Form 6B has been corrected.
Memos to Associations
In accordance with the June 2019
minutes, a memo will be sent to Associations
regarding the procedure for
processing annual remits and the possibility
of contacting NAGs before remits
being formulated for clarification.
Update of Federation Constitution
The Federation Constitution is been
updated with the remits passed at the
2019 Federation AGM.
Sandy Feringa
Chair