NEW ZEALAND | Aged care reform debate must account for the quality of care older people receive as well as the financial sustainability of services, Aged Care Commissioner Erin James has said. Her message places residents’ rights and experiences alongside funding and capacity as measures of whether reform is working.
In a statement marking International Day of Older Persons on 1 October, James said longer lives required systems that protected dignity, autonomy, and wellbeing throughout ageing. She urged those considering changes to the sector to judge proposals by their effect on the person receiving care.
“We should not accept a lower expectation of dignity, safety, autonomy or quality care just because our system is under strain,” said James.
James said older people needed to be involved in discussions about reform. Listening to them, their families, and whānau should inform how services were designed, monitored, and improved.
Her statement comes as the Government considers advice from the independent Aged Care Ministerial Advisory Group. Its report, A Place to Grow Old: Securing the Future of Aged Care, was published in August and contains 40 recommendations covering service integration, regulation, funding, and implementation.
The group was established in late 2025 to advise on changes needed to make the system sustainable and effective. The report examines pressures on existing services, proposes structural reforms, and outlines funding options. Its recommendations will inform future government policy and funding decisions.
James said planning for demographic change was necessary, but older people’s contribution to society also needed recognition. The discussion should consider what enabled people to retain choice, connection, and purpose as their needs changed.
For operators, her position raises a practical issue about how reform will be assessed. Financial performance and available places are measurable, but the evaluation also needs to capture residents’ experience of care and their ability to influence it. Including that evidence in decisions about services would give substance to the commissioner’s call for older people’s voices to shape the system.
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