Legal Brief with Alan Tate of Harris Tate www.harristate.co.nz

There is a tidal wave coming our way, the effect of which will be much greater than global warming. That wave will not be coming from the sea, but from the rapidly ageing population.

Some of the numbers are staggering. It is predicted that half of the children born now will live to reach 100 years of age. By 2050, 25 per cent of the population will be over 65.

The process of moving to an older population has already started. The first of the post war ‘baby boomers' are reaching 65 and the swing toward a much older population is well underway.

The implications for everyone, whatever their present age, are far reaching. Things such as the affordability of national superannuation, the need to save for retirement, the provision of health services, the availability of retirement villages and rest home facilities and the availability of people to work in those facilities are all things that need serious discussion.

Tauranga is seen as a good place to spend retirement years and that trend is likely to continue. The provision of age care services could easily become one of Tauranga's fastest growing industries and biggest contributors to its economy.

If Tauranga wants to make the most of that opportunity, now is the time to be doing something about it. Some positive moves to create an ‘age friendly' city would be a good start.