ACA Member Action: Write to key decision-makers and make our voice heard
As part of the ongoing efforts to advocate for positive change regarding the ARRC (Aged Residential Care Agreement) contract, we are asking all ACA members to take immediate action by writing to key government figures. This is a vital opportunity for you to ensure your voice is heard in the ongoing discussions about contract and funding increases.
Below, you’ll find instructions on how to proceed, along with links to letter templates tailored to the relevant recipients. In short, our ask of you is to:
- Download the letter template(s) below
- Customise the letters and send them by physical mail (postage to Parliament is free)
- Let us know when you have sent your letter(s)
1. Who to write to
- Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
- Minister Casey Costello – Minister for Seniors, Associate Minister of Health
- Minister Simeon Brown – Minister of Health
- Minister Chris Penk – Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing
- Ingrid Leary – Labour Spokesperson for Seniors
- Hon. Ayisha Verrall – Labour Spokesperson for Health
- Your local Member of Parliament
Finding your local Member of Parliament
- Find out which electorate covers your area on the Electorate Map
- Check the Parliament.nz list of MPs and find the MP corresponding with your electorate in the list.
Remember, postage to Parliament is free. Just put the letter in an envelope, and address the letter to:
[insert MP name]
Freepost Parliament
Private Bag 18 888
Parliament Buildings
Wellington 6160
2. The letter templates
We have prepared four letter templates, each targeted at different recipients as outlined aove. The core message of these letters is already written, but it’s important that you personalise them by filling in some important details, such as:
- Your name
- The name of your facility (for care groups, we recommend doing a letter per each facility for maximum impact)
- The number of beds your facility provides for
- What community you provide for
Download the letter templates below:
1. Letter to the Ministers (click here to download), to send to:
- Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
- Minister Casey Costello – Minister for Seniors, Associate Minister of Health
- Minister Simeon Brown – Minister of Health
2. Letter to Minister Chris Penk (click here to download)
- Minister Chris Penk – Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing
- Note: This letter template varies from the template for the other current Minister’s as it speaks more to Minister Penk’s portfolio for Small Business and Manufacturing
3. Letter to Opposition Spokespeople (click here to download), to send to:
- Ingrid Leary – Labour Spokesperson for Seniors
- Ayisha Verrall – Labour Spokesperson for Health
4. Letter to your Local MP (click here to download)
- Find out which electorate covers your area on the Electorate Map
- Check the Parliament.nz list of MPs and find the MP corresponding with your electorate in the list.
Reminder to customise the letters
Each letter should be customised to reflect your individual/facility situation. You can also include a section about how a potential funding increase (e.g., a 2% increase) would impact your business. The more personalised your letter is, the greater the chance it will be read and considered.
3. Why physical letters matter
It is important that we send physical letters, not emails. Ministers have to respond physically to physical letters – so if get every facility sending a letter to each Minister, that’s 600+ responses they have to send, really drawing their attention to the matter.
Remember, postage to Parliament is free. Just put the letter in an envelope, and address the letter to:
[insert MP name]
Freepost Parliament
Private Bag 18 888
Parliament Buildings
Wellington 6160
4. Please let us know when you have sent your letter(s)!
Please let us know that you’ve sent your letter! For every letter that you send, just flick us a quick email to office@nzaca.org.nz saying as little as “sent letter to <Minister> on <date>” when you send them. This helps us get an idea of how many letters are being sent – meaning we can give media an idea of how many letters are getting out there!
Our hope is to be able to get out to the media that over 600 letters are going to each of the above Ministers. That’s a number that people will pay attention to.
