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Dame Peggy (right) with former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy at her Investiture Ceremony in 2017

Dame Peggy Koopman-Boyden has announced that, after five years as the Chair of Hamilton City Council’s Age-Friendly Group, she will step down on 31 March 2022.

Dame Peggy has provided advice to the Council on how to create a city that is friendlier for older people since 2009, firstly as a member of the Council of Elders. Under Dame Peggy’s stewardship, Hamilton was the first city in New Zealand to join the World Health Organisation Age Friendly Global Network of Cities and Communities in 2018. Her tenure has also seen the development and monitoring of Council’s Age-Friendly Plan.

Mayor Paula Southgate said Hamilton has been incredibly fortunate to have Dame Peggy providing leadership in an important space.

“Dame Peggy has highlighted both issues and opportunities for older people and she paved the way for us to become New Zealand’s first age-friendly city. She has always provided fabulous advice, saying that what’s good for older people, is good for everyone. I agree and personally I’ll be very sorry to see her go.”

Dame Peggy first became involved in research with older people in the 1970s at The University of Canterbury, working in partnership with Age Concern Canterbury.

A Waikato local since 1992, she spent two decades leading major research projects for the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. She has built a reputation as an internationally recognised expert in social gerontology, the study of the social, psychological, and planning aspects of ageing.

Alongside her professional interest, Dame Peggy has been involved in community organisations dedicated to older people, including Age Concern and the Alzheimers Society. For her community service, she was awarded a Life Membership to Age Concern, the New Zealand 1990 medal, and a Hamilton City Council Civic Award in 2015. She was made a Dame in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Before retiring, Dame Peggy was the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at The University of Waikato, as well as being the Project Director of the research programme, Mid-Life Family Transactions. She was made an honorary Professor Emeritus in 2016.

One of Dame Peggy’s final acts as Chair of the Age-Friendly Group was the adoption of the updated 2021–24 Age-Friendly Plan. A public expression of interest process will be undertaken to find a new chair and additional members to join the Age-Friendly Group for the next three-year term.

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