NZ carers: What does it mean to be a carer?

There are five million people in New Zealand, and approximately half a million of them in 2018 were carers. 

And yet, it may feel unlikely that one in ten people you know are a ‘carer’. That's because being a carer isn’t about your career or your job - it’s about your role in the community. 

Read on to learn a little more about what it means to be a carer, what they do, and why they are genuinely some of the kindest, most selfless, wonderful humans you could ever know. 

What is a carer?

Our Ministry of Health defines carers as “individuals, family, whānau and āiga providing care for someone close to them who needs additional assistance with their everyday living because of a disability, health condition, illness or injury.” 

For many carers, they may not even recognise themselves as such. They’re simply helping to look after someone who needs an extra hand, whether that’s a family member, partner, friend, or someone in the community. 

In fact, almost one in ten New Zealanders are carers. Nearly two-thirds of carers are also employed outside of their caring role.

In many cases, carers are women and those in Maori and Pacific communities are also more likely to be a carer. 

With New Zealand’s ageing population, more and more people may need the assistance of a carer, especially for anyone looking to spend their senior years living independently at home. That means there’s certainly plenty to do for carers in Aotearoa. 

What are the tasks of a carer? 

The tasks of a carer aren’t just varied, they’re practically limitless in the way they support others every single day. 

Here are just some of the tasks a carer might carry out: 

• Wellbeing: Assisting with medication, helping with rehabilitation after surgery, injury or illness
• Mobility: Providing strength and balance, moving, or lifting people with limited mobility
• Personal care: Showering, toileting, cleaning teeth, brushing hair, shaving, dressing, and undressing
• Daily activities: Preparing meals and help with eating, house cleaning (vacuuming, cleaning kitchen and bathroom floors and surfaces, washing and hanging out clothes)
• Support: Dealing with administrative tasks such as applying for grants or organising insurance
• Companionship: Providing company and emotional support

Keep in mind, one person might require help with all these tasks, but those tasks might be carried out by a number of different carers. For example, one person might do the grocery shop and prepare meals, while another administers at-home medical care and transports the person to appointments. 

Some carers might stop by a few times a week to offer light assistance and company, whereas other carers will spend time with someone every single day or live together for 24/7 assistance. 

The importance of carers in society 

There is simply no way to understate the importance of carers in society. 

Naturally, they make a huge difference to the quality of life for the many individuals all over New Zealand – and the world – experiencing illness, disability, and mental health challenges. 

You can’t put a price on the daily quality of life improvements that carers provide. But one recent Infometrics study from 2022 has considered just how many unpaid carers there are in New Zealand, how many hours they provide each year, and how much they would have been paid if they were remunerated with professional carer hourly wages. 

The result is a preferred central estimate of $17.6 billion – every year. That’s a little over 5% of the national GDP, but it’s given freely, and often with costs for the carer that can take more than just time such as mental wellbeing, food and fuel costs, personal development time, and more. 

Carers don’t just provide immense physical and emotional support to those who need it the most, but they’re also providing a hugely valuable service for the community as a whole. 

Caring for others 

If you ever need proof that the world isn’t all that bad, look to the carers - those who give up their time and energy for the good of others. They’re everywhere you look, and perhaps you even see one when you look in the mirror.  

Caring for others is certainly noble, and one way you might be able to do that is with life insurance, which can help to financially protect those you care for the most. A life insurance policy can offer a payout which could be used for anything from medical expenses to mortgage repayments should something happen to you. Consider requesting a quote today to get started. 

20 Mar 2023