Conference puts the focus on opportunities of ageing

The inaugural Opportunities of Ageing Conference will focus on the economic value that the older members of our society can bring to the community.

The 2013 Opportunities of Ageing Conference is being hosted by the Hastings District Council and will be held in the Hawke’s Bay Opera House on the 10th, and 11th of April. The conference will highlight the value of wisdom, talent and economy our communities can gain from embracing the older age group

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says “Today, older people are different from past generations. They are in better health, are better educated, and live full lives for longer. We want to celebrate this and look at the opportunities that are available to draw on the enormous talent the ageing population has to offer.”

Lawrence Yule says “Skills of older workers will be increasingly hard to replace and retirement, workforce participation, volunteerism is a new landscape to be explored. It is critical that the social and economic value of this age group is taken into account.”

The conference is aimed at Local or Central Government Economic Development or Planning Officers, researchers or graduate students studying the structure of ageing, demographics or economics, HR managers and CEOs with an ageing workforce; and non-Government Agencies involved in services for the ageing population.

The conference organisers have assembled an impressive lineup of keynote speaker: including former Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, Chief Economist and Executive Director of BERL, Dr Ganesh Nana and Phil O’Reilly, CEO of Business NZ.

Other keynote speakers include: Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi, a strong advocate of Maori language and the Kohanga Reo movement; former Prime Minister Rt Hon Jim Bolger; long-time theatre and television personality Ray Henwood; Emeritus Professor Ian Pool, a renowned New Zealand demographer and recipient of a CNZM in the 2013 New Years Honours list; and Hon Jo Goodhew, Minister for Senior Citizens.

Dr Judith Davey, Senior Associate of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University will chair a number of panel discussions and the conference will be MC’d by television, radio and theatre personality Jim Hopkins.

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