Page 28 - IJPS-10-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Age-friendly cities and lifelong learning

in a specific age-friendly city in New Zealand to explicate education; a retired Indian academic in management;
the promise and challenges of enacting an age-friendly health practitioners; Māori representation from the
plan. The intent is not to present an exhaustive analysis Rauawaawa Kaumātua Trust (a major Māori older persons
of potentially relevant studies and reports but to consider organization to promote well-being); a community house;
sufficiently portray a convincing theoretical background a business member of the Hamilton Central Business
for the more in-depth case study of Hamilton, New District; Age Concern Waikato; and Pasifika. Meetings are
Zealand, as an age-friendly city. The author of this paper generally held bi-monthly.
is the current Chair of the Age-Friendly Hamilton Steering Figure 1 shows the overview of the Age-Friendly
Group operating as a semi-autonomous entity under the Hamilton Plan 2021 – 2024 (Hamilton City Council, 2021)
auspices of the Hamilton City Council.
taken from the public document.
3. Case study: Age-friendly Hamilton 4. Discussion of the Age-Friendly Hamilton
(New Zealand) Plan 2021 – 2024
Historically, the people in Hamilton city, situated inland There are two stipulated goals in the Age-Friendly Hamilton
in the upper portion of the North Island of New Zealand Plan 2021 – 2024 (Hamilton City Council, 2021), namely,
with a population of near 180,000, has maintained a raising awareness within the community of the increasing
solid relationship with the older generation (defined number of older people in Hamilton, and empowering the
here arbitrarily as age 65+). The current Age-Friendly community to take action to improve the lives of older
Hamilton Group (AFHG) grew out of a previous Council people in Hamilton. The newly formed Group decided to
of Elders (since 1993) and an Advisory Panel on Older not take for granted what the Plan entailed. Although yet
People (2014+). The group has 12 volunteer members to be ratified as a formal change, the first goal was seen
who represent varying segments of the older population to be too innocuous because raising the awareness of
in Hamilton, which has more than one in 10 Hamiltonians increasing numbers is hardly aspirational nor sufficiently
being over the age of 65. In the 2018 Census, the proportion encapsulating of what seniors might need. According, we
of the total population aged 65+ for New Zealand as a
whole was 15.4% and 11.9% for Hamilton. Among the sought to replace this first goal, retaining the second, with
the following: Raise awareness within the community of
larger cities of the country, Tauranga (a favored retirement the needs and contributions of older people in Hamilton.
spot), has the highest proportion of 19.8%. In the same This revamped goal goes beyond a knowledge of numbers
Census, when the New Zealand 65+ age populations are
disaggregated into 65 – 79 and 80+ categories, Hamilton to ponder on the (learning) needs of older people (e.g.,
physical, social, emotional, etc.) and what seniors can offer
has 75% in the former category and 25% in the latter the wider community. In effect, this change acknowledges
(Age-Friendly Hamilton Plan 2021 – 2024). Hence, the
age structure of Hamilton, the fourth largest city in New that aging has an impact on older citizens’ changing needs
Zealand, closely mirrors the country as a whole, except for (where aging is commonly interpreted from a deficit
perspective) but it also points to the positive features of an
being slightly titled toward the younger side. Yet, this is not informed citizenry, a manifestation of active aging.
a reason to be complacent.
The author, after volunteering for membership of a The five principles in the plan are based on community
reconstituted Steering Group under the auspices of the development notions and are currently viewed as
appropriate. The themes identified in the plan are derived
Hamilton City Council, was appointed the chairperson, and
the Group inherited a fairly comprehensive Age-Friendly from those of the WHO (2018), complemented by the
Hamilton Plan 2021 – 2024 (Hamilton City Council, addition of “safety” from the previous group. There are
2021). Among the 12 members, four were returnees and obvious overlaps amid the themes (e.g., social inclusion in
housing; and safety in transport and mobility) and there is
eight new. As a consequence, it could not be assumed that
there was consistency of agreement among members about no explicit mention of learning in later life which could be
what the plan is about and there was a need to examine incorporated under “social participation.”
projections for future priorities. The Group is semi- The following section of this article looks into some
autonomous as it is informally supported by the Hamilton of the early achievements and the conspicuous challenges
City Council (principally by a small secretariat) but the for the future as this new Group assumes firmer direction
Steering Group can determine its own goals and actions. and support for its work. It is followed by more general
The group members reflect different components of the discussion, linking aspects of literature to the realities of
older population: university emeritus professor in adult practice.

Volume 10 Issue 2 (2024) 22 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.380