March 2016 - Grey Power Napier

Grey Power Napier & Districts
Quarterly Newsletter
P O Box 4247, Marewa, Napier 4143
http://napiergreypower.org
March 2016
Our guest speaker this month is:
Sir Michael Cullen
Talking on:
Welcome to the first
of our four newsletters for 2016. A special welcome to new
members.
We hold
public meetings on the
3rd
Tuesday
each
month at St Columba’s
church
in Taradale
with guest speakers,
raffles,
afternoon
tea. All members get
a free discount book
and the access to
other savings.
Note: membership renewals are now due.
The Future
of
Superannuation
When?
Tuesday, 15th March
1:30 pm
Where?
St Columba’s Church
176 Gloucester Street
Taradale
ALL WELCOME
A former Taradale resident, Sir Michael Cullen
served as a Labour MP
for over 30 years. His
portfolios included Minister of Finance, Attorney
General and Deputy
Prime Minister. Responsible for Treaty negotiations and the introduction
of Kiwisaver, Michael
Cullen is now chairman
of NZ Post, and lives with
his wife Anne in Ohope.
Grey Power Committee Contacts
President
Laurie Jenkin (06) 844 3734
[email protected]
Deputy Chairperson
David George (06) 834 0711
[email protected]
m
Secretary/Newsletter Ed
Maxine Boag 021 024 70484
[email protected]
Treasurer
Carol Brunton (06) 843
5560
[email protected]
Page 1
Membership
John Wuts (06) 844 4751
[email protected]
Publicity Officer
Jane Smart 027 459 5716
[email protected]
Committee
June Graham 845 4353
Lillian Rennett 843 9522
Anne Mitchell 844 7011
Bruce Carnegie
844 5635
Website
http://napiergreypower.org
Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
Here’s looking at us!... Pics from our meetings
At the Westshore volunteers luncheon
HOUSE & BUILDING WASH
houses — units — sheds — patios — decks
driveways — paths — fences — glass houses — etc
ALSO AVAILABLE:
30%
Dis-window cleaning, gutter cleaning, waterblasting
& storm water drain clearing.
count
For More Information Phone:
BOOKINGS
Our Xmas
“do” at Pukemokimoki Marae
was Meuli
a great -success—it
full house, and we were helped
Lindsay
AAA Moss was
Away
and welcomed by the marae staff and the Mataruahau Maori wardens, entertained by the Maraenui Bilin835 3677 or Mobile 0272 555 769
ESSENTIAL
gual Kura
Kapa Haka group, as well as Mayoress Shirley Dalton. A good time was had by all!
Locally Owned & Operated
AAA ROOF PAINTING
 Decramastic
 Corrugated
 Colour
Steel
Tiles
 Concrete
 Roofs
Tiles
Iron
AAA
 Driveways
15%
Discount
Tiles
 Cobbles
 Fences
15%
Discount
 Decks
 House Exteriors
Lindsay Meuli
Phone 835 3677 or Mobile 0272 555 769
Lindsay Meuli
Phone 835 3677 or Mobile 0272 555 769
Locally Owned & Operated
Locally Owned & Operated
Page 2
Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
From the
President’s
desk
As advocates for the older generation we will be making
submissions to the Napier City and HB Regional Councils
this year, as well as hosting candidates meetings before
the Local Body elections in October.
A warm welcome to you
all, both new and continuing members. Your support is valued and makes
the committees job easier.
We are sending just one delegate (secretary Maxine)
down to Christchurch for the Federation’s conference
and AGM in April (it costs $600 pp for registration, with
flights on top of that!) and have our own AGM in May
which we’d love you to attend.
2016 kicked off to a busy start for your Grey Power committee, who organised a Volunteers Luncheon in late
January to honour our helpers; we’ve held our first
monthly meeting, attended by over 160; three half-day
committee meetings, attended two Zone meetings, renewed many members and been very busy working on
the new Discount Book (to say nothing of this newsletter!).
With a full and interesting year ahead of us, I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our
meetings. We have some members who no longer drive
and would like a lift, so if you can help, let me know. As
well, we pick then sell (as a fundraiser for GP) apples and
with the season on us, I’d appreciate any large or small
plastic shopping bags being brought to meetings or
dropped off at 15 Durham Avenue Tamatea.
This year promises to be especially busy, with our membership currently standing at over 1100 - twice as many
as this time last year. With the increase in members,
the need to communicate with and advocate for you
grows. It means an increase in the number of newsletters to deliver (sorry sir Michael C but we try and save
money by delivering our publications! Then we complain about the disappearance of our post boxes…
hmmmm); long hours by committee members involved
in collecting membership fees and sending out your
cards; many phonecalls from members and would-be
members; organising and running our volunteer lists,
public meetings and keeping up with current issues that
affect our demograph.
A final word, to those of you who haven't renewed (this
year’s sticker on your card is BLUE) - we hope you will
do so quickly; it helps keep us going; and we have a new
Discount Book and other savings available to you.
Take care and see you at our meetings!
Laurie Jenkin, President
We’ve considered getting an office and paid staff, but as
yet don’t have the resources to take that step. But we
are always looking for more volunteers to phone, deliver, help out so if you’re interested, just give me a ring.
We’ve put a questionnaire in this issue to find out more
about your needs and your thoughts on a range of issues.
Page 3
Some of the volunteers enjoying a well-deserved
luncheon at the Westshore Hotel on 26 January.
Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
APh
remarkable
collection of digitally
8
remastered and life size paintings
from one of the world’s greatest
painters of all time. Each work reproduced exactly as it may have left
the master’s studio nearly 400 years
ago.
Supergold bus subsidy changes
The government’s move to bulk fund regional
councils for Super Gold Card (SGC) travel (vs
paying per trip) and the decision for SGC passengers to use a smart card prompted Napier
Grey Power, and the GP Federation to make
submissions to the NZ Transport Agency during
the recent consultation process.
Bulk Funding: Giving councils capped funds
(only adjusted for CPI) to pay for this subsidy
means that less money will be available for an
increasing number of over-65s. This is a costsaving move and the HBRC along with Grey
Power opposes it.
Smart cards: In about two years HB SGC users will need to purchase a $7 smart card, the
problem of which is its inability to be used when
visiting other centres. We opposed that also.
Below: HBRC Transport manager Anne Redgrave
and Cr Alan Dick met the Napier committee to discuss their submission (which we endorsed)
Page 4
Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
From Stuart Nash
MP for Napier
As the cost of living increases it is important to know
about the help and entitlements that are available in
our community.
This is why we have updated a comprehensive Information Kit that sets out services and entitlements for
the over-60s.
If you would like a free copy of the over-60s Information Kit please call into my Electorate office at
155A Tennyson Street, in Napier, or you can pick one
up from your local library.
I am very much aware of the valuable contribution
that older people have made and are continuing to
make to New Zealand’s way of life. We owe our current prosperity and way of life in no small measure to
the contributions of our parents and grandparents. I
am working hard on your behalf to ensure that all super annuitants are guaranteed a better standard of
living.
My office is here to help you, the office hours are
9.00 am to 4.00 pm Monday to Friday and we are just
a phone call away on (06) 835 6093.
Stuart Nash
Napier Grey Power committee member Anne Mitchell
flanked by Labour Party leader Andrew Little and MP for
Napier Stuart Nash, enjoying the special “buzz” around
our city over Art Deco Weekend. Wasn’t it fun!
Authorised by Stuart Nash, 60 Milton Road Napier
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Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
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Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
A powerful Grey voice for children
and New Zealand’s future
Dr Russell Wills, Children’s Commissioner
We should celebrate the fact that older people are living longer and healthier lives in New Zealand. I certainly do. However an increasing proportion of the population who are retirees, alongside increasing costs of pensions and healthcare, mean that we need the economy
to be more productive than ever.
To grow our economy the government is focused on
increasing exports and high value industries. These depend on entrepreneurial people, skilled labour and investment to create more diverse, high-value service and
production jobs. This in turn obviously requires a labour force with the cognitive, social and emotional
skills to be entrepreneurial, work in teams and think
through complex problems.
This means we must ensure every child grows up with
fully developed skills and become productive citizens.
All generations benefit from children who grow up
healthy, skilled, and engaged in society.
However New Zealand’s rate of childhood poverty is
now twice what it was a generation ago. This puts at
risk their development, their future productivity and
social cohesion for society as a whole.
Three in ten New Zealand children (29 percent) live in
low-income households, and one in seven (14 percent)
of children regularly go without the basic things they
need. While some children are resilient to the stress of
growing up in poverty, for many, growing up in poverty
leads to poor health, lower educational attainment,
lower-paid employment, and higher rates of unemployment, criminal offending, mental health problems, welfare dependency and teenage pregnancy. Overall, these
costs add up to 3-4% of GDP, or $6-8 billion a year.
Costs are also
borne by growing
numbers of grandparents raising children while the parents work, or
providing valuable
skills volunteering
to mitigate the effects of poverty. From remedial
reading in schools,
to making school
lunches for those
who go without, oldDr Wills - our future is at risk.
er people in society
are squeezed between tending to their frail elders, and
minding their grandchildren.
Children are our most valuable asset for a productive
and safe future. We can continue paying for ‘ambulances
at the bottom of the cliff’, or we can consider how a more
strategic approach to investing in children will lead to
better outcomes for all generations.
If we want to continue to enjoy national superannuation
at a level that gives a reasonable standard of living, aged
residential care and health services at a standard we expect in the future, we must invest in our children now.
Grey Power has a powerful voice that our political leaders on all sides listen to.
Imagine the impact if Grey Power was to say, in the
clearest possible way, “We support Government investing
in our children. Please have a plan and set targets for
child poverty. Implement all 78 recommendations from
the Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty
and we, Grey Power, will support you”.
Imagine how the children of New Zealand would feel, if
Grey Power were to say that.
For more information on child poverty and its solutions,
please go to www.childpoverty.co.nz or www.occ.org.nz
HOUSE & BUILDING WASH
houses — units — sheds — patios — decks
driveways — paths — fences — glass houses — etc
30%
Discount
ALSO AVAILABLE:
window cleaning, gutter cleaning, waterblasting
& storm water drain clearing.
For More Information Phone:
BOOKINGS
ESSENTIAL
Lindsay Meuli - AAA Moss Away
835 3677 or Mobile 0272 555 769
Locally Owned & Operated
AAA ROOF PAINTING
Page79
Page
Napier and Districts Grey Power Associaiton
AAA MOSS AWAY
Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
TPPA – FAR FROM SEALED AND DELIVERED By Dr Robin Gwynn
Lies, deceit, and TPPA
In my lifetime I have never seen any blatant lie to match
the statement in the opening paragraph of the NZ Foreign
Affairs and Trade TPPA events page talking about
‘extensive public consultations carried out during TPP negotiations’.
Grey Power members have long kept a wary eye on
TPPA, the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement which the
National government has been negotiating for years with
eleven other countries. That’s because Grey Power was
quick to realize the damage that could be done to all New
Zealanders, but especially the elderly, if PHARMAC – under attack by American commercial operators – could not
carry out its role to keep our medical costs down.
As we all know, until now there has been NO public consultation at all about TPPA. How could there be, since the
whole agreement was negotiated in secrecy behind closed
doors?
How I couldn't find my wife
The content, secrecy and deceit that has accompanied
the whole process since the very beginning is one reason
why it remains far from certain that TPPA will proceed
even though the initial agreement has been signed. The
Government’s spin doctors have failed to persuade public
opinion, and opposition is growing, not diminishing.
I found that out for myself on 4 February, when I attended a protest rally in Hastings. I thought there might be a
couple of hundred people there. I wasn’t prepared for
what I saw. The daily paper acknowledged over a thousand people there. Actually it may have been 1500 or
more. I’ve certainly never physically lost my wife in a political rally in Hawke’s Bay before!
The same day, between 15,000 and 30,000 people rallied in Auckland, with similar protests not just in this country but in many others. And TPPA only comes into force
after 6 or more countries with 85% of the total GDP of all
the participants notify they have completed domestic processes. If the USA or Japan pull out, that could spell the
end. And they may: almost all the presidential candidates
in the USA are under pressure on the issue, for instance,
and Canada has warned it is not committed.
*Environment – the interests of foreign investors and
multinational corporations are protected, but there are
no realistic measures to protect our environment
* Treaty – the government didn’t consult Maori significantly during negotiations and its ‘national interest’
analysis fails to assess the impact on the Treaty of Waitangi.
* Loss of Sovereignty – the United States can withhold
New Zealand’s certificate of compliance with TPPA until the US is satisfied that all the changes it requires to
New Zealand’s domestic laws and practices have been
made. There is no reciprocal right for NZ.
* Loss of legal integrity – TPPA gives foreign investors
rights to sue governments if they believe new state
action might erode their future profits. Cases would be
heard off-shore, not in New Zealand, not under New
Zealand law, and determined by commercial insiders
whose interests are not those of New Zealand.
Fundamentally, the problem is that the TPPA is a
charter securing the interests of foreign investors and
multinational corporations, not a normal trade agreement. Its priorities mean it is specifically designed to
limit regulations that might benefit the public interest
in a broader sense.
MAKE A SUBMISSION TO THE SELECT COMMITTEE, TO
REACH IT BEFORE 11 MARCH. (Ed: or soon after)
If you can access the Internet, the simplest way to
make a submission is to go to either tppafacts.co.nz
and click on ‘Take Action’ or go to www.parliament.nz
and click on ‘Select Committees’ and then ‘Make a
submission’.
If you do not have Internet access, two copies of
your submission can be sent to The Committee Secretariat, Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade Committee,
Parliament Buildings, Wellington.
What happens now in NZ?
The text and a (very biased) ‘national interest’ analysis
have now been tabled in Parliament and referred to a Select Committee. Submissions close on 11 March.
I hope that a great many of us will make submissions,
however short, to show our concern. There are so many
things wrong with the proposed Agreement, such as:
* Health – the Pharmac purchasing model is not directly
affected, but there will be a review mechanism for pharmaceutical companies to challenge Pharmac’s decisions.
Medical costs will increase, and our taxpayers will foot the
bill.
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Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
MEETINGS DATES
2016
March -
Tuesday 16th
April -
Tuesday 19th
May –
Tuesday 17th
June -
Tuesday 21st
July –
Tuesday 19th
August –
Tuesday 16th
September –
Tuesday 20th
October –
Tuesday 18th
November –
Tuesday 15th
December—
No meeting
Apart from the November Xmas luncheon, all our meetings
are held on the 3rd Tuesday each month, starting at 1:30 pm
at St Columba’s Church 176 Gloucester Street, Taradale.
Rates Rebate Scheme
Have you had your rates rebate for the last rating
year? If you are a low-income homeowner you
could be eligible for a rebate of up to $610.
The Rates Rebate Scheme assists low income
homeowners in meeting the cost of rates for the
home in which they were living on 1 July 2015.
pendants living with them. Rates can include
both Napier City and HB Regional Council rates.
To check if you qualify, or for more information
on eligibility, visit the rates rebate website at:
www.ratesrebates.govt.nz or contact the Council
on (06) 834-4197.
For 2015/16, residential ratepayers who earned up
to $24,440 for the year ended 31 March 2015 could
be eligible for a rebate of up to $610.
If you expect to receive a rebate you should still
plan on paying your first instalment due in August. The rebate will be credited against your
next instalment.
Those earning more might also be eligible, depending on their rates amount and the number of de-
You can apply for a rebate now. But don’t wait
any longer as this rating year ends on 30 June.
THINK MR RENTAL FOR…..
SOMETHING SHORT TERM – extra bed or fridge for visitors,
latest technology for the grandchildren
SUDDEN CHANGE IN HEALTH – exercise bike, treadmill,
small TV, electric La-Z-Boy after surgery, in hospital or home
REPLACING APPLIANCES – FREE installation, service, replacement, exchange or upgrade
SUPERGOLD CARD – NO BOND & 10% DISCOUNT, totally
FLEXIBLE (T&Cs apply)
STILL NOT SURE – We do understand & pride ourselves on
CARING PERSONAL SERVICE.
GIVE US A CALL – at 0800 111 313 or check mrrental.co.nz
or pick up flyers from your Age Concern office.
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Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
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Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
From John Wuts
Membership
Secretary
What does Grey Power offer?
The benefits of joining:
FOR only $15 per year or $27 per couple, membership in Napier and Districts Grey Power enables you to access discounts across a range of
local services and products, plus savings on
power, as well as medical insurance.
Power: Members can access electricity and gas at a
lower price from Grey Power Electricity. Phone 0800
473 976 with your current bill and see how GP Electricity compares.
Medical insurance: The Grey Power Board has
recently approved a new deal for medical insurance
for members. Through Partners Life Medical Insurance, members aged between 50 and 70 can get a
permanent discount of 35%. Partners Life cover was
the number one pick in Consumers’ survey of medical insurance packages in September 2015. Check
them out at www.vestacover.co.nz or phone 0800
283 782 during weekday working hours.
If you have a look at the colour of your membership
card, it will tell you if you are
financial or not. If it is blue, you are doing fine, but if it is
yellow and marked with the expiry date 31/12/2015 or
31/3/2016, then it is time for renewing.
Options for this are:

Post a cheque with completed membership form
to Grey Power PO Box 4247 Marewa Napier 4143

Internet bank to Kiwibank # 38-9009-0434068-00
using your name & membership number as payee;

Put your subs in an envelope with your name on it
and hand it in at our next meeting on 15 March
Reminder: subscription fee is $15 single or $27 double.
Please let me know also if you have a change of internet
provider so you can get your monthly meeting reminder.
Accident Insurance cover: all paid up members
Plumbing
are offered a payout of $2000 to their estate in the
case of sudden death by accident.
(formerly Rigby Plumbing)
Local Discounts: Members are able to access
local discounts through our Napier Grey Power
2016/17 Discount Book, being sent this week free to
current members. (USE IT PLEASE!)
With over 1100 local members this year, Napier Grey
Power is in a strong position to keep advocating for
seniors at local and central government level, as well
as negotiate new benefits and discounts.
Offers 10% discount to Grey Power Members
*Plumbing
*Drainlaying
*Gasfitting
*Underfloor Heating
*Solar Heating
Members of Master Plumbers Association
our work is guaranteed
Join us and enjoy the benefits!
Phone Murray Rigby 843 2474
Grey Power Napier & Districts—Membership 01/01/2016 to 31/12/2016
Send this form to: Membership Secretary PO Box 4247 Marewa Napier 4143
Or email this information to [email protected] AND [email protected]
Please tick: Renewal  (Membership # __________ )
New member(s) 
Name: Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Dr_______________________________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________________________________________________
Telephone: _________________Mobile:____________________ Email: __________ @ _______________
I/We prefer to receive newsletter by:
post 
email 
(tick one option)
Subscription Costs: Single $15.00
Double $27.00
Total amount paid: $__________
Direct Credit: Account 38-9009-0434068-00 Account Name: Grey Power Napier and Districts Inc
Payment may be made by sending a cheque to the above address or by direct credit to the above Kiwibank account.
If using the latter, please make sure you record your name and membership number in the deposit details, and
send an email confirming your payment details to membership secretary John at [email protected] and treasurer
Carol at [email protected]. The discount book is free to members and will be sent to you with your membership
card.
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Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.
In 2013, Emily Otter – also a G.P. member – joined the
team, and was able to add significant value to the process.
In the intervening four years, traffic numbers will have
increased to the extent that it is no longer possible to count
the vehicles in both directions. Emily and I are planning another count, which will be more accurate than mine, because we will do one direction each.
The Council’s stance that pedestrian crossings are dangerous, and being removed in many cases, may be valid for
some, but it is wrong to put all crossings in the same basket.
Every one should be considered individually, on its merits,
according to local needs, and I believe the Atawhai Crossing
to be a special, urgent case.
We do have support from Stuart Nash (M.P. for Napier),
the Blind Foundation, Taradale T.D.A., several Napier City
Councillors, and a host of Taradale residents.
Having come close to winning a Council vote on the issue,
there is no way we are about to abandon our crusade!
We are planning to see it through to fruition. Please give
us your support!
Atawhai pedestrian facility—an issue that
won’t go away.
by Laurie Jenkin
The idea of creating a suitable pedestrian facility in the
immediate vicinity of Atawhai Retirement Village in Taradale is not new.
Frank Nicholls, an 89 year-old Atawhai resident, and
member of Grey Power, has been on an intensive oneman crusade, since 2010, trying to convince the N.C.C. of
the need for such a crossing --- but to no avail!
Frank walked around Taradale, to every house within a
kilometre of Atawhai, gathering signatures to support his
appeal. 99% of Taradale householders signed in favour
of a crossing , but again without success.
In 2012, Frank asked me to help. I could see a genuine
need, so I agreed. I did a traffic count over 5 two-hour
blocks from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., on different weekdays. The
average numbers of vehicles per hour (cars and bigger)
was exactly 800 --- considerably more than the Council’s
reckoning.
A Questionnaire for Grey Power members
Although GP is not aligned to any political party, we are an advocacy group who want our political leaders in local and
central government to take into consideration the needs of the growing number of older people in our country. So we
have put together a survey/questionnaire that will give us some feedback on your thoughts and ideas. It is anonymous.
Please bring your written responses to the March meeting, mail them to our PO Box 4247 Marewa
4143 or email to [email protected]
1.
Gender
Age
Own home/renting/retirement village
2.
Which flag are you voting for?
3.
Have you joined up with GP electricity?
If so what if any difference has it made?
4.
Do you think it is good for us to have a Discount
Book and if so do you use it?
5.
Why did you join Grey Power?
6.
What do we do well and what could we do better?
7.
We intend to make submissions to the City
Council and the Regional Council in the Annual
Plan consultation. Do you have any issues you
would like us to take up? (Use separate page)
Sender: Napier & Districts Grey Power
P O Box 4247
Marewa 4143
Page 12
Grey Power Napier and Districts Association Inc.