Just like the world around it, New Zealand’s retirement living space is constantly evolving in response to new consumer preferences and sector innovation. This is particularly the case as a new breed of Baby Boomer retirees - who are tech savvy, aspirational and environmentally conscious - begins to fill the nation’s villages. Let’s have a look at 2024’s big trends in retirement living.
Trend one: Stronger link between retirement villages and care
The link between aged care and retirement living continues to strengthen, with more retirement villages also including an aged care facility (also known as a rest home).
As a basic concept, retirement living involves independent living - where a person can look after himself or herself. A person living in an aged care facility is however dependent on the services and care supplied in that facility.
According to a 2023 report produced by real estate firm JLL, some 65% of retirement villages also contain an aged care facility, with this figure rising to 74% when only villages operated by the six largest operators in New Zealand are included.
Providing aged care facilities within a retirement village means that residents don’t have to move location when they require care - a concept known as ‘continuum of care’. There is also the benefit in that partners who don’t require care can continue to live independently, but easily visit their partner who is in care.
While there is no guarantee that a retirement village resident will be able to access the on-site aged care facility at the exact time of their choosing, they generally are given priority.
In fact, increasingly, operators are only providing enough care beds or rooms to cater for village residents, which strengthens the reason to move into the village in the first place as it provides a clear pathway to care.
When investigating a retirement village, it is also well-worth checking what types of care beds or rooms are available - for instance whether these are standard, premium or care suites. The pricing for each of these options is quite different.
Find out more: Village Guide’s step-by-step guide to moving into residential care
Trend two: Better facilities
The Baby Boomers, that is people born between 1946 and 1964, are now making their mark upon retirement villages. The oldest Baby Boomer is now 78, and the youngest is 60.
This generation wants to remain active and healthy and enjoy life, and arguably have greater lifestyle expectations than the so-called ‘Silent Generation’ which preceded them.
This may be because ‘Baby Boomers’ were born after the austerity years of the Great Depression and World War II, and have lived through generally strong post-War economic times.
Consequently, new retirement villages are more likely to include great lifestyle facilities such as cafes, pools, gyms, wellness centres, cinemas, hair and beauty salons, tennis and pickleball courts and golf simulators. These often sit alongside traditional facilities such as gardens, BBQ areas, bars and gardens.
“Baby Boomers’ are also more likely to be comfortable with technology and lived through a period of increasing expectations about good environmental practices by corporations and governments.
As a result, they are a force behind the sustainability and technology trends listed below.
Everything you need to know.
Trend three: Drive towards sustainability
Sustainability is now a major focus for the retirement living sector, as it seeks to play its part in the global effort against climate change and to better conserve water resources and protect sensitive environments.
The ANZ Bank’s Retirement Villages Survey Report for 2023 found that establishing an environmental, social and governance (ESG) policy was now a focus for more than one in four retirement village operators over the next 12 months.
Establishing such a policy was now the 4th highest priority among operators, compared to it being the 9th highest priority in the previous year’s survey.
This means that, increasingly, retirement village residents are able to install solar panels on their roofs, live in communities with less environmental impacts and improved water conservation and access shared electric vehicles, and electric vehicle charging outlets.
For instance, Arvida’s Park Lane retirement village in Christchurch has a fleet of 15 shared electric vehicles, which can be used by independent living residents so they don’t have to own a vehicle. Apart from delivering a sustainable way of travel, the cars have also reduced the area which needs to be set aside for car parking spaces within the village, allowing space to be allocated instead for a community garden and full-size bowling green.
Electric vehicle parking spots at the Park Lane retirement village at Christchurch.
Meanwhile, the Retirement Villages Association has come together with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority on a program to reduce carbon usage in retirement living, mainly through sharing information between operators.
The program website includes a case study from operator Oceania. Increasingly, Oceania residences have Homestar certification from the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), which ensures apartments are warmer and healthier than a typical home, leading to better living conditions for residents.
Meanwhile, Metlifecare says its Ōtau Ridge village in Clevedon is the first retirement village in New Zealand to commit to obtaining a Green Star community rating, also managed by the New Zealand Green Building Council. Project features to meet this benchmark will include a climate change adaption plan, waste reduction during construction, encouraging healthy living with a new pathway and open space network, light pollution reduction to improve the local ecosystem and a residential recycling system.
Finally, reducing food waste is also a focus.
For instance, Ryman Healthcare’s Evelyn Page Retirement Village at Ōrewa is taking part in a program whereby food scraps are being collected, fermented and then composted at a nearby banana farm. In the five years since the program commenced, more than 100 tonnes of food scraps have been collected and diverted to the farm, rather than go into general waste.
Evelyn Page retirement village residents with bananas produced with the help of composted food waste from the village.
Separately, in 2023, the University of Otago was in 2023 given a government grant of $230,000 to run a food waste reduction program across the retirement living sector. The program is being run in collaboration with the Retirement Villages Association, and providers Arvida and Bupa.
Trend four: Rise in technology
A common misconception is that older Kiwis struggle with technology. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic meant many seniors embraced digital tools, with a 2022 survey finding that one in two seniors would find it hard to manage everyday life without technology.
Given this, it is hardly surprising that technology is now playing a far greater role in retirement living.
A good example is the myRyman app. The app has currently been rolled out to Ryman Healthcare independent residents in 36 villages, with an average takeup by 64% of residents in these villages. At Kevin Hickman Retirement Village in Christchurch, a staggering 95% of its residents are using the technology.
The app is primarily used to help residents stay connected and informed about what’s happening in their village, but does help the potential to be extended to healthcare. It’s also helped cut down on paper usage, although paper information is still available for those who are less confident in using the technology or don’t have a phone.
The myRyman app.
The trial myRyman app launched in November 2021 following more than 275 hours of interviews with residents and staff, user testing and co-design sessions with 150 residents.
Trend five: Connection with community
Increasingly, retirement villages are being constructed and operated so that they are integrated with, and inviting to, the broader community.
A good example of this relates to the number of retirement villages which are now being constructed with cafes that service both residents and the general public. For instance, major retirement living operator Arvida has 14 cafes across 35 communities.
Retirement villages are also running programs to bring community members into facilities, to deliver social connections and knowledge benefits.
For instance, residents of Arvida’s Knightsbridge community in Windsor Park, Auckland, have been learning about technology thanks to visits from students from secondary school Rangitoto College. The group of 8-10 students and their teachers gave technology presentations to the residents, followed by troubleshooting sessions where the residents brought their own device issues for advice.
Intergenerational learning at Arvida’s Knightsbridge community in Windsor Park, Auckland.
Meanwhile, The Botanic, a new retirement village at Silverdale north of Auckland, intends to have a child care centre which will cater for up to 100 children. The project says the child care will “encourage important, life-enhancing connection between grandparents and pre-schoolers”.
Further reading
10 Benefits of Living in a Retirement Village
