Retirement Villages' Residents' Council

Representing retirement village residents

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Kia ora,  Welcome... 

The Retirement Villages' Residents' Council is an independent body representing the collective interests of retirement village residents in Aotearoa, New Zealand.


We strive to be an inclusive environment where resident concerns can be addressed, opinions can be given, ideas can be shared, and decisions made.

We provide an opportunity for retirement village residents to share and express their independent views to retirement village stakeholders.

Retirement villages in numbers

452

The number of retirement villages  in Aotearoa, New Zealand

39,070

The number of units within retirement villages in Aotearoa, New Zealand

50,791

Estimated number of retirement village residents in Aotearoa, New Zealand

Council objectives

We have five key objectives for the Council - effective communication, supporting the the implementation of best practices, to put the interests of residents at the heart of every decision, to act as a conduit between residents, management and Retirement Villages Association members and to seek opportunities for positive change on issues that affect retirement village residents.

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Council structure

The Council currently has 11 council members plus an independent chairperson. 


Its terms of reference provide that the Council at any one time, can consist of between 10 and 20 residents who are interested in actively participating in representing their fellow residents of retirement villages.


Our Council members have all been selected by the Chairperson from candidates nominated or suggested by retirement villages, operators and other stakeholders.

See our terms of reference

News

Council Helps Drive New Complaints Scheme for Residents

by Deborah Hart • 29 July 2025
The Residents’ Council made formal submissions and met with the designer of a new complaints scheme for residents, advocating strongly for a fairer and clearer complaints scheme. The Council was also able to meet with operators to explain how a fair and independent complaints scheme could work to the benefit of all. Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson has said "the system needed changing." “The existing complaints and disputes system does not meet best-practice standards, and both the Retirement Commission and Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development want to address these issues as part of the broader sector review under way,” Read full article HERE

Have Your Say: New Survey on Occupation Rights Agreements

by Deborah Hart • 25 July 2025
We want to know what residents think and we are always looking for ways to better understand resident needs. So the Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council this week invited residents to take part in a short survey about Occupation Rights Agreements — specifically, what matters most when it comes to getting your money back after the agreement ends. Many residents have raised concerns about covering costs after they leave their village or when their estate is managing financial matters. This anonymous survey, conducted by independent firm Talbot Mills Research, will help ensure residents’ voices are heard on this important issue. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and will remain open for around a week.  As a thank you, everyone who completes it will go into the draw to win one of three $100 Prezzy Cards. (Contact details are only used for the prize draw and are kept separate from survey responses.) You can take part in the survey and please share this with other village residents — every voice counts. Take the survey HERE

Resident Insights

25 July 2025
Insights from Residents It is important for the Council to understand what residents want. Council members are all residents themselves and actively engage with other residents, including traveling nationwide to hear concerns firsthand, conducting regular surveys, reviewing research, and meeting frequently with stakeholders. If you want a Council member to visit at your village, click HERE . To ensure more understanding of what residents want, the Council has now appointed research company Talbot Mills to undertake research on Occupation Rights Agreements. To take part in that survey, click HERE Between September 2023 – May 2025, Council members visited over 30 villages of all sizes and types across the country, meeting with over 650 residents. They also collected resident responses through a survey collected in-person and online. The Council has received over 200 responses to surveys. The results from survey data are HERE .