A 72-year-old who feels like a ‘prisoner’ in her own home, a 75-year-old living on a tight budget, and a 65-year-old who can’t afford to retire. These are the stories of just three local pensioners, but advocates say many elderly are ‘quietly starving’. Some are scrimping on meals, struggling to
Cost of living: Elderly ‘quietly starving’ as costs keep rising
Peter Taylor says if he didn't work he couldn't afford to live. Photo / Carmen Hall
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“The only way I can survive is by penny-pinching. Everything has just got dearer and dearer.”
The pensioner eats frozen meals, making one portion stretch across two meals.
She is fortunate to be in government-subsidised housing but has nothing left after paying her expenses.
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“It feels really lousy because I can’t afford to do anything as I haven’t got the money.”
Another pensioner Syd, who only wanted to use his first name, said when his microwave and toaster both blew up, and his phone went on the blink, fixing the issues sent him broke.
However, he acknowledged he was doing better than others and was methodical when it came to making ends meet.
He plans out his meals, with frozen containers of food portioned for dinners.
He has an income and expenses budget pinned on the wall, keeps a fortnightly shopping list and this year the crop of choice in his tiny garden is tomatoes.
But the 75-year-old said the price of food has become “horrific” and he bulks out meals with pasta and potatoes.
‘There are elderly quietly starving’
Ngāi Te Rangi chief executive Paora Stanley said when staff gave out Christmas parcels they discovered many kaumātua were struggling and desperate.
Those dire situations prompted the iwi to distribute nearly $30,000 in fish one month with other food distributions in the pipeline to help the most vulnerable.
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“A lot of those kaumātua were in tears because they did not have some of the basic staples like sugar and flour. That is deeply disturbing to me.
“However, on the other side of it, we can’t afford to prop up all of our kaumātua but I’ve got to figure out how we can do that.”
He said inflation rates of 7.2 per cent had come on gradually and caught a lot of people unawares.
“There is a lot of pain going on and some feel ashamed.”
Stanley said Ngāi Te Rangi was engaged with kaumātua who had relationships with marae but it had to find a way to reach out to others.
“There are people breaking down and crying because they are hungry. There are elderly quietly starving.”
In his view, some whānau also needed to step up to see if kaumātua were coping.
“Go for a cup of tea and while they are putting the kettle on look in their cupboards to see if they’re empty.”
65-year-old can’t afford to stop work
Peter Taylor says if he didn’t work he wouldn’t have any quality of life because the pension isn’t enough to live on.
“I’d be stuck at home looking at four walls going stir crazy. I would not be able to afford to go anywhere.”
The 65-year-old, who does garden maintenance, said rising costs had spiralled out of hand and food prices were “over the top”.
“I went to the supermarket and bought two tins of cream corn and 18 eggs and it cost $17. Last week I only filled the bottom of my trolley and that was $150.”
He met a lot of pensioners through his job and said it was often the highlight of their week, which was sad.
“Some are really lonely and isolated and we are the only people they might see to talk to. They will do baking for us which they probably can’t afford to do.
“That makes us feel good but for them, it’s really sad.”
Taylor said the elderly were doing it hard and “let’s be honest about that”.
‘Going without food and really scrimping on meals’
Tauranga Community Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said there had been an increase in people over 65 asking for food support.
She attributed this to the cost of housing and limited incomes followed by increased living costs.
“We are also aware that the cost of rates and insurance are having an impact. From what I can tell the reality is that they are often going without food and really scrimping on meals.
“I often hear that during the second week after receiving their superannuation, they are struggling to have enough funds for food after paying for housing.”
Goodwin said her view, “we need to take the support right to them and make it super easy”.
As an organisation, the foodbank tried to reach every corner of our community but had always found it tricky to get the older generation to ask for help.
“There can be many reasons for this and this is something that is very much on our radar. I would really like to emphasise to anyone in this situation that it really only takes a phone call to have support provided. You will be treated with dignity and respect and it is all completely confidential.
“It is truly saddening to know that these important members of our community are experiencing hardship with such a basic human right as food.”
‘The taniwha in the whare’
Tommy Wilson, executive director of Tauranga social service agency Te Tuinga Whanau, said people needed to be “courageous” and have conversations about the desperate situations facing elderly community members.
“I call it ‘the taniwha in the whare’ or as Pākehā would say ‘the elephant in the room’. It’s whakamā or shame because people don’t want to talk about it because it’s embarrassing.
“But we have to talk about it to get on top of it.”
He said those coming forward for help were only the “tip of the iceberg”.
‘We can ensure they are receiving the support they are entitled to’
Bay Financial Mentors manager Shirley McCombe said some of its older clients struggled as they had fixed incomes and little opportunity to generate extra money.
“They are often very reluctant to ask for help and they are either embarrassed, or they think that others need it more than they do. Isolation, lack of mobility, disability and the cost of travel sometimes contribute too.
“We see clients struggling for food all the time and they are often not only trying to support themselves but other family members as well.”
McCombe said there was a variety of ways it can help.
“We can ensure they are receiving the support they are entitled to. This might include accommodation allowance, disability allowance or temporary additional support. Some are raising grandchildren but not receiving support as any assistance is still going to the parent.
“Often, if they can whakapapa back to their iwi they can assist with grants, especially for health-related expenses. We can arrange food support, rebates for rates and assist with managing any debt they are carrying.”
Working with a mentor on an ongoing basis was another huge help.
“We can help them find the best way to address challenges (like house repairs) without taking on debt that will make week-to-week costs more difficult to meet. It is also very helpful for anyone experiencing financial abuse, which unfortunately is not uncommon.”
‘This is a wicked problem many years in the making’
Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson said its research undertaken as part of the Review of Retirement Income Policies had pointed to growing numbers of people struggling to get by in retirement.
That data reveals 40 per cent of people aged 65 and over have virtually no other income besides NZ Super and another 20 per cent only have that, and a little more. Even with NZ Super, close to one in three people don’t think they will have enough for retirement unless they continue working past 65.
“This issue isn’t going away – currently, one in five retirees are still paying a mortgage, and we are looking at 100 per cent more older people paying rent by 2048 compared to 2020. As a society, we need to keep talking about these issues.
“Retirement is a concept that is often out of sight, out of mind until we reach it. But we need time to prepare and plan.”
Wrightson said it was “heartbreaking to think that people who have worked, raised children, and paid taxes their whole lives, are struggling to get by”.
“This is a wicked problem many years in the making and is part of why I believe that NZ Super is so critical. We need to plan long-term to ensure our older people can retire with the dignity they so deserve. This can’t be achieved by one agency or one government alone, we need collective, ongoing action.”
In her view society respected elders and felt responsible for their wellbeing but views needed to be adapted to changing times.
“It’s no longer just are you healthy, are you socialising ... It’s are you affording everything okay? Do you need help paying your bills? We need to make this a priority.
“We can’t assume people are coping financially – it can take a lot before we hear a cry for help.”
