Ageing well starts at birth

Ageing, and ageing well, start at birth.

Healthy habits can be adopted at any age, but the earlier these habits begin, the longer their benefits can accumulate. Personal choice is influenced by the options people perceive that they have, and in poverty, options are limited.

We will pay a high price in the future for neglecting the many children growing up in poverty in New Zealand, estimated to be 169,300 children (14.3%) in 2026.

These children experience more chronic ill health, social problems, and lower wellbeing, and negative outcomes accumulate over time if poverty persists.

Ageing well is not simply a matter of individual choices. Safe housing, adequate income and access to education from early in life can shape long-term health and wellbeing.

The Growing up in New Zealand study shows that having access to and living in a warm, safe house, not having to move frequently and having financial stability in the first 1000 days of life protects from chronic health conditions, including asthma or eczema requiring medication, and obesity.

When children living in families experiencing adversity have good informal networks and support systems; safe places to gather to support each other; and access to services designed to support wellbeing, they are much less likely to experience cumulative and multiple adverse impacts on their wellbeing.

A balanced diet, regular exercise and staying mentally and socially active all support healthy ageing.

Children with good informal networks and support systems, and safe places to gather to support each other are better protected from the adversity that can lead to long-term harms.

Financial security matters too. Starting KiwiSaver early gives savings more time to grow, while secure housing provides stability and independence.

Age-friendly communities, with accessible transport, safe public spaces and opportunities to connect, can help people stay healthy and engaged.

Healthcare matters throughout life, but our stretched GPs have less time to listen, advise and focus on prevention.

Rather than telling people at an individual level that change is needed, thinking needs to change at a population level, at a societal level. Societal norms may make it easier to live a healthy lifestyle and effect unconscious behaviour change.

It is possible for more of our people to age well, and the clock is ticking.

New Zealand’s older population is large and growing. More than 900,000 people aged 65 years or older made up around 17-18% of the population in 2024–2025. But as the population is ageing, the birth rate is declining and the “dependency ratio” - the number of people aged over 65 to the number of working-age people (aged 15–64) is increasing.

An increase in the dependency ratio causes concern for two main reasons. First, who will provide care for the older people who need it?

Second, taxes on income pay for welfare benefits, hospital care, schools, roads and other infrastructure, as well as contributing to the cost of the universal age pension, New Zealand Superannuation.

That second concern is offset to some extent by the fact that more than 27% of those aged 65 or older are in paid work and thus contributing to the cost of their own pensions. Active, healthy older people also contribute an estimated $4-$6.4 billion annually to the economy as unpaid carers and volunteers, providing support to individuals and to more than 97,000 non-profit organisations including sports clubs, social services, animal welfare, and conservation.

The National Science Challenges of New Zealand enabled “A Better Start”, “Living Well” and “Ageing Well”to contribute to these understandings.

We must hope that the new forms of research funding planned by the current Government will provide vision and hope for science and technology to address our biggest challenges, including enabling increasing numbers of children in poverty to age well and those reaching older age to continue to age well.

More broadly, if we want to improve the future and ensure people age well in Aotearoa, the government can guarantee provision of three things:

First: free GP and after-hours care for children up to age 18.

Second: fees-free, equitably funded, community-based early childhood education.

Third: adequate building of social housing, income-related rents at 25%; and increased accommodation supplement asset thresholds.

Providing better support for families and children would mean children are safer, better-informed and enabled to age well.