Last week I attended the Aged Care Association NZ 2025 conference in Christchurch. The theme was "Creating Change" and there was a fabulous host of speakers, along with genuine thought-provoking discussion with conference delegates.

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The announcement of a Minsterial Advisory Group on aged care was announced the day before the conference, which was a big topic of conversation. Speakers from Australia such as Natalie Siegel-Brown gave insight into how the reforms over the ditch have been received, and what New Zealand can take on board when deciding future policy on aged care.

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I was delighted to be invited to be on a panel on day 2, to discuss the fact-finding trip I went on in April with Hon. Tracey Martin and invited guests. It was great to sit there with Wayne Naylor, Michael Peters and Cam Ansell and discuss in detail our thoughts on the trip and what New Zealand can take (and leave!) from our Australian counterparts.

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A huge thank you to Kelly Wallace, KJ Smith and everyone at the NZACA for organising a brilliant conference! And to Hon. Tracey Martin for her leadership and drive - you can feel real change is coming.