Aged Care Association

1. Business / Trading Name: New Zealand Aged Care Association Incorporated (NZACA)

2. Company Number: 1608900

3. NZBN: 9429043049707

4. Entity Type: Incorporated Society

5. Business Classification: Data Not Found (not explicitly listed in public records)

6. Industry Category: Aged Residential Care services and industry advocacy

7. Year Founded: 2005 (incorporated 4 March 2005)

8. Addresses:

• Registered Address (Current): Floor 13, AMI Plaza, 342 Lambton Quay, Wellington Central 6011, New Zealand (since 29 Sep 2023)

• Postal Address: PO Box 12481, Wellington 6144, New Zealand

(Previous addresses included Level 11 & 8, Petherick Tower, 38-42 Waring Taylor Street, Wellington, used until Sep 2023.)

9. Website URL: nzaca.org.nz (official site of the Aged Care Association)

10. LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aged-care-association/

11. Company Hub NZ URL: Data Not Found (no listing found on CompanyHub)

12. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.businessregisters.govt.nz/sber-businesses/viewInstance/view.html?id=229a78e05307b6d8bf1b29667f00cb17f4e2f19e30707d88&_timestamp=54533530793334 (Incorporated Societies Register)

13. Social Media URLs:

• Twitter/X: @NZAgedCare (NZACA official account)

• Facebook: facebook.com/nzagedcareassociation (page name: “New Zealand Aged Care Association – NZACA”)

• Instagram: @nzagedcare (Instagram presence noted in media)

(These platforms are used for updates on advocacy and sector news.)

14. Ultimate Holding Company: Not applicable – NZACA is a member-based incorporated society with no parent entity.

15. Key Shareholders: Not applicable – As an incorporated society, it has members rather than shareholders. (Members include aged care provider organizations; see “Clients/Members” below.)

16. Leadership: (Key governance and executive leaders)

17. Staff: (Select staff of the NZACA National Office)

18. Staff with Previous Government Roles: (Revolving-door personnel now at NZACA)

• Hon. Tracey Martin – Chief Executive: Former Minister for Seniors (2017–2020) and former MP, also served as Minister for Children and Internal Affairs.

• Liz Robinson – COO: Held various roles in the New Zealand Parliament and worked for the Public Service Association (public sector union) prior to joining NZACA.

(Former CEO Simon Wallace was previously a ministerial advisor in the health sector – see Past Employees.)

19. Past Employees: (Notable former executives and staff)

• Martin Taylor – Chief Executive (2004–2015): Led NZACA (formerly Healthcare Providers NZ) until 2015; left to take up a role in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition. (He later worked as a political advisor; NZACA’s name change occurred under his tenure.)

• Simon Wallace – Chief Executive (2015–2023): Succeeded Taylor in 2015 ; previously Policy Manager at Tourism Industry Aotearoa and a health ministerial advisor. Oversaw NZACA growth and high-profile advocacy campaigns before departing in 2024.

20. Clients / Members: NZACA’s “clients” are its member organizations – over 670 aged care providers (operating 90%+ of New Zealand’s aged residential care facilities). Members range from large for-profit chains to not-for-profit and community-owned rest homes. Major members include Ryman Healthcare, Summerset Group, Oceania Healthcare, Bupa NZ, Arvida Group, and many independent rest home operators (providing rest home, hospital-level, dementia and psychogeriatric care). (These members collectively run ~40,000 care beds for seniors and employ tens of thousands of staff.)

21. Industries / Sectors Represented: The aged residential care sector (rest homes and nursing homes) and related eldercare services. NZACA advocates on issues spanning elderly healthcare, long-term care, retirement/aged housing with care, and workforce training for aged care. (The Association is the peak body for aged care facilities in NZ.)

22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: NZACA proactively publishes its submissions to Parliament and government agencies on relevant policies. In 2024 alone, it made 13+ submissions to select committees and ministries on topics like health funding, immigration, workforce training, and resource management. The Association’s leaders frequently appear in Parliamentary hearings – for example, CEO Simon Wallace testified to the Government Administration Select Committee on the Fire and Emergency NZ Bill in 2016, and current CEO Tracey Martin presented to the Health Select Committee in 2024. Ministers regularly engage with NZACA: government Ministers address its annual conferences (e.g. the Minister for Seniors in 2015), and official briefings show introductory meetings between NZACA and new Ministers (e.g. December 2023 meeting with the Minister for Seniors). The Association also openly “welcomes” major policy initiatives – for instance, it welcomed a 2024 Parliamentary inquiry into aged care provision.

23. Affiliations: NZACA often collaborates with allied industry and professional groups. It worked jointly with the Retirement Villages Association of NZ (RVA) on submissions (e.g. a combined stance on fire service levies), and aligns with home-care and disability associations on workforce issues. NZACA was a stakeholder in the health sector’s Careerforce/Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation, holding a 12.5% share in that ITO (for workforce training) until the vocational training system was reformed. Internationally, NZACA engages with Aged Care Associations in Australia and is a member of the Australasian Association of Institute Executives (AuSAE) network. It also coordinates with broad business advocacy bodies – for example, endorsing BusinessNZ positions on regulatory policy in its submissions.

24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: NZACA maintains a Preferred Suppliers programme (corporate partners who support the sector). Its annual conference and awards are sponsored by industry vendors (e.g. medical equipment suppliers, construction and service firms). The Association has collaborated with research firm BERL (Business and Economic Research Ltd) to produce annual industry reports. It also runs the NZ Aged Care Association Education Trust (established 2018) to deliver training and professional development for caregivers and nurses, often in partnership with government training initiatives.

25. Events (Organised by NZACA): The Association hosts an Annual Conference & Trade Exhibition, which brings together aged care operators, policymakers and suppliers. At the conference, NZACA also presents the “Excellence in Care” Awards to recognize high performance in elder care. Additionally, NZACA holds periodic Symposia (e.g. the 2025 Symposium) and workshops/webinars for members on topics like regulatory compliance, infection control, and leadership. Regional meetings and an annual general meeting are part of its event calendar as well. (These events serve as key networking and lobbying opportunities, often featuring speeches by Ministers and sector leaders.)

26. Political Donations: No disclosed political donations by NZACA as an organization have been found. NZACA’s advocacy is primarily through lobbying and campaigns funded by member levies and sponsorship, rather than direct donations to parties or candidates. (Individual member companies or their executives may donate in personal or corporate capacity, but the Association itself is not recorded as a donor in Electoral Commission filings – Data Not Found in public donation records.)

27. Controversies: NZACA has faced scrutiny for some of its lobbying tactics and policy positions. In 2022, its member-funded campaign “Aged Care Matters” drew attention by using digitally-aged images of the Prime Minister and Deputy PM on billboards to dramatize the looming shortfall in aged care beds. While effective, this public pressure tactic was provocative and sparked debate. The Association’s push to tie immigration visas for nurses to aged care made headlines in 2022 when it emerged NZACA had asked the Government to require migrant nurses to work two years in aged care before getting residency – a policy critics said worsened nurse shortages elsewhere. Unions and advocacy groups have at times criticized NZACA: historically the Association was accused of “crying poverty” over caregiver wages while not actively seeking pay increases until legal action forced a pay equity settlement. There have also been tensions over staffing standards, with some alleging NZACA resists minimum staffing ratio mandates due to cost implications. Administrative issues arose in 2023 when NZACA was mistakenly listed among societies facing dissolution for filing delays, though it remained active and in good standing after addressing compliance. Overall, controversies have centered on NZACA’s balancing of profit considerations with care quality, and the aggressive nature of some lobbying efforts.

28. Other Information of Note: In October 2009 Health Care Providers New Zealand (HCPNZ) merged with New Zealand Private Hospitals Association (NZPHA) to form the New Zealand Aged Care Association (NZACA). It initially registered as a charity, but in 2018 NZACA voluntarily deregistered from the Charities Act after regulators questioned whether all its activities were charitable. At that time, NZACA established the NZACA Education Trust (registered charity CC55451) to carry on its educational and training functions, transferring ~$1.15 million in assets to the Trust. This allowed the main NZACA entity to focus on advocacy/lobbying (which is not tax-exempt) while the Trust handles scholarships and training for the sector. NZACA’s long-serving Chair, Simon O’Dowd, has led the Association for over 20 years, providing continuity from its founding through to the present. The Association periodically levies members for special purposes – for example, an “Election Campaign Levy” was used to fund advocacy in election years. NZACA’s financial reports indicate it is solvent, with member subscriptions and event revenues sustaining operations (accumulated funds ~$1.65 million as of 2024).

29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: There is no public record of NZACA itself receiving COVID-19 wage subsidies. During the 2020–2021 pandemic wage subsidy program, aged care providers (members) did receive subsidies for their staff, but the Association’s Wellington office did not report a claim. (NZACA continued operating remotely during lockdowns and its revenue (membership fees) was likely maintained; its role was coordinating the sector’s pandemic response rather than needing wage support.)

Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz