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Every village, everywhere, for everyone

Retirement Villages

Eldernet has New Zealand's largest selection of retirement villages to explore. NZ has 488 retirement villages nationwide, offering a wide range of services, use our tools to help you navigate your choices. Eldernet currently has 528 retirement village properties listed.

What retirement villages have to offer

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A retirement village is a community specially built to cater for the needs and lifestyle of older people. Choosing to live in a retirement village can be a great option for those wanting to maintain their independence while living among a like-minded community of people.

Research shows most people enjoy a high level of satisfaction when living in a lifestyle or retirement village. For residents, the benefits can be numerous; these may include giving you peace of mind, new and varied activities and interests, new friendships, and time to be able to spend on the things you most enjoy.

Villages vary greatly – you’ll notice different-sized villages, from very few units to some with hundreds; different types of units within the same complex; newer villages and older villages. You will discover the community offering a wide range such as swimming pool, bowling green and café. Eligibility age differs across villages too – some villages may allow residents to enter at 55 while others commonly have an entry age between 65 and 75.

As well as providing a range of different accommodation options, many villages now offer alternatives, such as care suites, which combine village offerings and residential care components. Make sure you visit a village more than once before you make a decision, and if possible visit more than one village to get a feel for how each has its own culture.

When you are ready to visit some retirement villages, our checklist may help you with your assessment.

All about retirement villages

A retirement village is a community specially built to cater towards the needs and lifestyles of older people. Many retirement villages offer units, villas, suites, or serviced suites. This gives you the option to choose to live independently within the village environment or to get extra help with cleaning or meal delivery.

Retirement villages
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What is the Retirement Villages Act?

All registered retirement villages in New Zealand are governed by the Retirement Villages Act 2003. The Retirement Villages Act and its regulations are designed to protect the interest of residents, and sets out basic standards for operating a village. These standards include things like: what information operators must disclose to...

Retirement villages
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What is the Retirement Villages Code of Practice?

This Retirement Villages Code of Practice establishes minimum requirements that retirement village operators must comply with to meet their legal obligations in New Zealand. These include some occupation right agreement terms and different types of policies an operator must have. Provisions in the code are enforceable by residents against operators....

Retirement villages
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What is the cost of leaving a village?

The major cost of leaving a village is the Deferred Management Fee (DMF) that is deducted from the original capital sum you paid when ‘purchasing’ into the village. It is to cover the cost of the management and refurbishment of the village (roading, footpaths, lighting, communal amenities etc). The industry...

Retirement villages
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What does it cost to live in a retirement village?

All retirement villages in New Zealand have associated costs, such as weekly fees. These generally cover things such as council and water rates, building insurance, external maintenance, upkeep of communal facilities, staff costs, gardening and management of the village. You are responsible for paying for your personal costs, such as...

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