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

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

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 .

New Council Member

WATCH: Associate Minister of Housing Hon. Tama Potaka gives a big thumbs up to the mahi of the Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council here He recognised the growing voice of residents and the Council’s role in shaping fairer outcomes for older New Zealanders. We're proud to have his support as we keep pushing for meaningful change.

Our June 2025 newsletter is available today. See below link. You can subscribe by pushing the button at the top of the newsletter or by emailing: info@residentscouncil.org.nz with the subject "Subscribe to Newsletter", we will then add you to our database for updates/newsletters.

To read the media release, click HERE

"Like many others, I enjoy retirement village life and have embraced this new phase wholeheartedly. But there’s a lot that needs fixing, which is why the last Government launched a review of retirement villages."

To read the summary of feedback for Retirement Villages Act 2003 Review, click HERE