New Council Appointed

John Mills

Following a call for council members, we are delighted to announce the new council will be comprised of a diverse group of residents from throughout the country who reside in both large and small retirement villages in cites and in the regions.

All council members were nominated by resident committees or at least two residents. No nominations were allowed to be made by operators.

The new council members are: Carole Shepherd, Denise Whitehead, Julie Shepherd, Deborah Bradley, Roger Parton, Andrew McEwan, Roger Shallcrass and John Mills.

John Mills is new to the Council and comes from Lockerbie Village in Morrinsville and was nominated by his village resident committee. He works full-time in community support. He is a retired chartered accountant and a former electoral officer. We welcome John to the Council.

Whilst applications for the Council have closed this round, the Council is wanting to fill a role on the Council of a resident who lives in Auckland. If you live in a retirement village in Auckland and wish to join the Council, please email info@residentscouncil.org.nz

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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