Acting Consul-General Xu Haiyuan Attends Closing Ceremony of Aged Care Innovation Seminar

Summary

Acting Consul-General Xu Haiyuan, Director Yin Ji of the Bilateral Division and Consul Shen Jian attended the closing ceremony of the seminar on 'Collaborative Innovation in Aged Care Services and Industry' on the evening of 17 September at the invitation of its organisers. Christchurch City Councillor Sam MacDonald, Dr Gan Kaiwan, chairman of the New China International Training Centre, and 20 participants, including Zhang Zhigang, deputy director of the Hangzhou Civil Affairs Bureau, were also present. Xu congratulated the participants on completing their study and training tasks, saying population ageing is a common challenge worldwide.

New Zealand's aged care industry started early and has well-developed systems, diverse models and a strong human-centric focus, offering much to learn, he said. China's elderly care services combine institutional strengths with the cultural roots of filial piety and respect for elders, and the country is accelerating a service system that coordinates home, community and institutional care and integrates medical and health care with elderly care, Xu said. He hopes participants will apply what they have learned and draw on New Zealand's experience in a balanced way to help domestic elderly care develop faster and better.

Commentary

New Zealand's aged care industry has carved out a distinctive global advantage in the ageing market through its mature retirement village model, its government-subsidised home care system and service standards that emphasise human dignity. The visit to Christchurch by 20 participants, among them officials from the Hangzhou Civil Affairs Bureau, shows how Chinese local governments are actively seeking overseas experience to cope with rapidly deepening ageing pressure. For New Zealand SME owners, this is more than an official exchange: it could open a window for service exports.

China's population aged 60 and above has exceeded 300 million, and its aged care industry is projected to reach RMB30 trillion by 2035. The reality, however, includes a large shortage of professional carers, insufficient community and home-based services, and a medical-elderly care integration model still being explored. New Zealand's small and medium-sized aged care providers have accumulated standardised processes in home care, dementia care and activity design for older people, giving them the potential to export management consulting and staff training to China's second- and third-tier cities.

Unlike large retirement village developers such as Ryman and Summerset, which focus on heavy-asset investment, lighter-asset training and certification, care plan design and age-friendly product adaptation are better entry points for SMEs. From another angle, payment capacity in China's aged care market is highly fragmented. Although pilot long-term care insurance under medical insurance is expanding, commercial insurance penetration is low, and purely market-based services face pricing pressure.

New Zealand firms that simply replicate their high-labour-cost model may struggle to gain traction. A more feasible route is to partner with local civil affairs departments, such as Hangzhou's, or with domestic aged care operators, entering through government procurement or pilot projects to reduce market education costs. The seminar was organised by the New China International Training Centre, indicating that people-to-people training channels already exist between New Zealand and China.

SMEs can take part in such government-commissioned training, provide short-term expert support or jointly develop courses to build trust and brand awareness gradually. Aged care policy varies widely across China, and administrative approvals and mutual recognition of qualifications are complex. Firms should first test the waters with non-capital-intensive activities such as consulting or training, rather than rushing to set up physical institutions.

Hangzhou, as a pilot city for the digital economy and smart elderly care, also offers room for cooperation with New Zealand technology firms in smart aged care devices and remote health monitoring, though they need to adapt to China's data compliance and localisation requirements. If New Zealand companies can read the signals from intergovernmental exchanges and focus on their strengths in niche areas such as standardised home care and age-friendly community design, they may find sustained business opportunities as China's aged care industry upgrades from a 'fill-the-gap' model to a 'quality-oriented' one.

Keywords: Xu Haiyuan, aged care industry, seminar, population ageing, China-New Zealand exchanges, Christchurch, integrated medical and health care with elderly care, Hangzhou Civil Affairs Bureau

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

9月17日晚，许海远代总领事、双边处尹济主任、申健领事应邀出席“养老事业和养老产业协同创新”专题研究班结业式。克赖斯特彻奇市议员山姆·麦克唐纳、新中国际培训中心董事长甘开万博士及杭州市民政局副局长张志刚等20名学员参加。许海远祝贺大家顺利完成考察和培训任务，表示人口老龄化是全世界面临的共同挑战，新西兰养老产业起步较早，制度完善、模式多元、注重人文关怀，很多方面值得借鉴。

许海远表示，我国养老事业兼具制度优势与敬老孝亲文化根基，正加快建设居家社区机构相协调、医养康养相结合的养老服务体系，希望大家学以致用，辩证借鉴新西兰有关经验，助力国内养老事业更快更好发展。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

新西兰养老产业以其成熟的退休村模式、政府补贴的居家护理体系和注重人文关怀的服务标准，在全球老龄化市场中形成了独特优势。此次杭州市民政局等20名学员赴克赖斯特彻奇考察，反映中国地方政府正积极寻求借鉴海外经验，以应对快速加深的老龄化压力。对于新西兰中小企业主而言，这不仅是官方交流活动，更可能打开服务输出的窗口。

中国60岁以上人口已超3亿，养老产业规模预计2035年将达30万亿元人民币，但现状是专业护理人员缺口大、社区居家服务供给不足、医养结合模式仍在探索。新西兰中小型养老服务机构在居家护理、失智症照护、老年活动设计等方面积累的标准化流程，具备向中国二三线城市输出管理咨询和人员培训的潜力。与大型退休村开发商如Ryman、Summerset聚焦重资产投资不同，轻资产的培训认证、照护方案设计、适老化产品适配服务更适合中小企业切入。

另一角度看，中国养老市场支付能力分化明显，医保长期护理保险试点虽在扩大，但商业保险渗透率低，纯市场化服务面临定价压力。新西兰企业若直接照搬本国高人力成本模式，可能难以落地。更可行的路径是与杭州等已建立联系的地方民政部门或本土养老运营商合作，以政府购买服务或试点项目形式进入，降低市场教育成本。

此次专题研究班由新中国际培训中心组织，表明中新之间已存在民间培训通道，中小企业可通过参与此类政府委托培训、提供短期专家支持或联合开发课程，逐步建立信任和品牌认知。需要注意的是，中国养老政策地方差异大，行政审批和资质互认复杂，建议先以咨询或培训等非资本密集型业务试水，而非急于设立实体机构。杭州市作为数字经济与智慧养老试点城市，对智能养老设备、远程健康监测等新西兰科技企业亦有合作空间，但需适应中国数据合规和本地化服务要求。

新西兰企业若能把握政府间交流释放的信号，聚焦自身在居家照护标准化、老年友好社区设计等细分领域的专长，有望在中国养老产业从“补缺型”向“品质型”升级的过程中找到持续性商机。

关键词: 许海远, 养老产业, 专题研究班, 人口老龄化, 中新交流, 克赖斯特彻奇, 医养康养, 杭州市民政局

Source: Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Christchurch – Consulate-General News