Patterns in discourse about elderly people in New Zealand

As the number of senior citizens continues to rise, their public profile wi ll grow and political discussion about their future will become increasingl y prominent. The present research was designed to approach such debate by p roviding an assay of naturally occurring data drawn from the New Zealand Ro yal Commission on Social Policy (1986-1988). Public submissions to the Roya l Commission on the specific subject of senior citizens were extracted and examined from a discourse analytic perspective. The results obtained by two independent analyses shouted three patterns of discourse, namely, society' s obligations to senior citizens, anti-ageism, and old age as a positive re source. This troika of discourse patterns constitute a collective voice thr ough which senior citizens and their supporters defend and advocate the soc ial position of senior citizens.