Age Concern Taranaki

Celebrating Ageing

Age Concern Taranaki wants to change the way people view ageing by sharing a thought provoking and life-affirming artwork by Paul Rangiwahia.

Executive Officer Richard Anderson says that to uncover “the gems” shared in the artwork, he and Paul went to the source. “So, we interviewed over 200 older people in our groups about what it looks like to live well.”

From those chats came 46 uplifting and meaningful statements used by Paul (Te Ātiāwa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Ruanui, and Tauranga Moana iwi) to create a bold, colourful work called Age is Just a Number. The Taranaki artist and wellbeing advocate has created a number of powerful pictures, including his well-known Mental Health W.O.F. poster.

Richard hopes the artwork will transform the way all generations view ageing through its moving messages. Some of his favourites are: “Forgiveness will set you free.” “Focus on connections, not possessions.” “Joy is a choice.” “Sometimes all that is required is a good cry.” “If we live this, the world will be a better place – not just for older people, but for everyone,” Richard says.

Age Concern’s plan is to see the artwork in homes, doctors’ surgeries, retirement villages, and community spaces. Canvas wall hangings sell for $190, A4 fridge magnets

are $30 with other larger canvas and decal options available, tea towels and other products are on the way for Christmas and Mothers Day. “We’d love to make some money from it because then we’ll stop asking every provider we can find, for money to run our programmes,” says Richard. “But the real result we want is people living like this. Celebrating.”

The artwork, launched in May, has no Age Concern branding, which was a deliberate choice so it could travel freely beyond the organisation, maybe even internationally. “Why wouldn’t that happen?” Richard says. “It’s uplifting.”

While the art is new, Age Concern Taranaki’s core work is well-established. Its four key roles are social connection, health promotion, a visiting service for those unable to leave home, and an elder abuse response service. Social connection ranges from coffee groups and monthly outings to men’s groups, choirs, and guest speakers, with many events held at Age Concern Taranaki's main office on Liardet Street in New Plymouth, their satellite office in Hawera and many other community halls and centres around the Maunga.

“Loneliness for your health is like smoking a packet of cigarettes a day – same impact,” says Richard, who spent almost 30 years as a school principal before taking on his current role.

Health promotion includes aqua aerobics, steady-as-you-go classes, and talks on topics from fire safety to living on a pension. The visiting service is “Big Brothers and Big Sisters for older people”, matching volunteers with clients for weekly visits.

Four social workers are employed to work in the elder abuse response service, where figures are confronting. “Five years ago we had 86 cases in Taranaki. This year we closed 325. About one in 10 cases are reported, and over 80% of abusers are family members."

Richard and his team are determined to see attitudes towards older people change for the better. "Older people are a resource, not a burden. if we can change to that thinking, we've made the biggest difference we can," he says.

Age Concern Taranaki also wants New Plymouth and Taranaki to be the best age friendly city and province in the country. But to do that there needs to be a change of culture focusing on “intergenerational connection and respect”.

Richard and his team have plans for a big bold public show of support for those aims. On October 1, Age Concern Taranaki will host a march in New Plymouth to mark International Day of the Older Person. The team is aiming for 1000 people of all ages, dressed in bright colours, to show their support of New Zealand’s ageing population.

Placards will feature some of the 46 statements from Paul’s artwork. “It’s just about celebrating that we’re cool people,” Richard says. He hopes the event will catch on nationwide. “Let’s say next year every Age Concern in the country does it. There’s 34 of them. Imagine if in five years’ time there’s 100,000 people around the country celebrating ageing. That would change the culture.”

Taranaki’s October 1 celebration of ageing kicks off in the Huatoki Plaza, where people can meet and hear live music by Gumboot Tango from 10am, listen to speakers at 10.45am and join in a march around the black at 11am.