About Canstar's Most Satisfied Customers Retirement Villages Award
Canstar's Most Satisfied Customers Retirement Villages Award reveals the retirement village operator that delivers the best consumer satisfaction to its residents and their families.
We ask Kiwi retirement village residents and their families to rate their satisfaction with their choice of retirement village provider by Overall Satisfaction, as well as important criteria such as Accommodation, Atmosphere, Facilities and Value for Money.
Numbers crunched by Canstar's researchers:
- 257 Customers Surveyed
- 10 Brands Assessed
- 3 Brands Shortlisted
- 1 Award Winner
The best retirement villages in NZ
The operators rated are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
1. Ryman Healthcare
This is the first year that Ryman Healthcare has topped our consumer ratings table and won Canstar Blue's Most Satisfied Customers | Retirement Villages Award. And it does so in emphatic style, earning top 5-Star ratings across all categories. Congratulations to Ryman Healthcare for being the No.1 choice of retirement living for Kiwis.
Ryman Healthcare was founded in New Zealand in 1984. It operates 48 villages across New Zealand and Australia that are home to over 14,000 residents, and has a further ten villages either in the planning or construction stages.
Ryman Healthcare's communities provide a range of lifestyle options, including independent townhouses and apartments, assisted living, rest home care, and hospital and specialist dementia care in most villages.
Villages offer a variety of amenities including heated indoor swimming pools, gyms, bowling greens, and spaces for social activities, ensuring a vibrant and active lifestyle for everyone. Residents are encouraged to keep moving with Ryman's complimentary Triple A (Ageless, Active, Aware) bespoke exercise program, available in all villages and designed specifically for older people.
2. Bupa
Bupa is a huge global health insurance and healthcare company. In New Zealand, it operates 35 retirement villages and 40 care homes across the motu that are home to over 5000 residents.
There are eight villages in the South Island, centered around Christchurch, Invercargill and Gore, while the rest are in the North Island, stretching from Whangarei to Wellington.
Accommodation options include apartments, serviced apartments and villas. Plus many also feature onsite care facilities.
Entertainment options and activities vary across the retirement villages.
3. Summerset
Summerset was founded in NZ in 1994 and opened its first retirement village in Wanganui in 1997. It now operates 36 retirement villages nationwide, with a further seven in planning or development.
Summerset retirement villages offer a variety of homes, all designed for people aged 70 and over. Choices include, villas, cottages and townhouses, apartments, serviced apartments and care centres.
Villages include most, if not all, the following facilities: bowling green, lounge, bar area, gym, workshop, cafe, hair salon, swimming pool and spa, library, games room and communal vegetable gardens. Plus there's always a full calendar of events and activities to ensure residents can keep busy.
Other retirement villages not rated by Canstar
Not all brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn't mean they're not worth considering. Here are more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
- Arvida
- Enliven
- Heritage Lifecare
- Metlifecare
- Oceania
- Sanderson Group
Arvida
Arvida won Canstar Blue's Most Satisfied Customers | Retirement Villages Award in 2022. It has over 35 communities nationwide, offering a wide range of accommodation: villas and townhouses, apartments, serviced apartments, plus care rooms and suites in managed facilities.
Arvida Retirement Villages also offer a great range of facilities, including: gyms, pools, spas and fitness centres; health and beauty salons, games and hobby rooms, bars, dance floors, movie theatres, as well as games rooms, minigolf and workshops and gardens.
There are also plenty of groups and clubs to enjoy, plus vans, electric vehicles and eBikes for residents to use.
Enliven
Enliven is part of the not-for-profit organisation Presbyterian Support Central (PSC), which has supported people and communities in New Zealand since 1909.
Enliven, along with six other regional Presbyterian Support organisations, is one of New Zealand’s largest health and social service providers. It operates nine retirement villages, featuring villas, townhouses and apartments, across Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Wellington and Wairarapa.
Heritage Lifecare
Heritage Lifecare operates 20 retirement villages across the country, spanning from Auckland to Invercargill. Its villages offer accommodation including units, villas and townhouses for independent living, backed by the peace of mind that care is on hand if needed.
Each village offers a range of facilities and activities, from social gatherings and outings to physical activities, including bowls, plus health therapy sessions, such as hydrotherapy, pet therapy and pamper sessions.
Metlifecare
Metlifecare, the winner of Canstar Blue's Most Satisfied Customers | Retirement Villages Award in 2021, has 32 villages offering independent living across the country, with more in the development stage.
Each of the villages has its own features and unique character, and offers a choice of accommodation style, including villas and apartments, plus a range of communal facilities, such as heated swimming and spa pools, beauty salons, cafes, restaurants, bowling greens and libraries.
Oceania
Oceania operates 40 retirement villages from Auckland down to Christchurch. Accommodation includes villas, apartments and care suites.
Villages offer a range of programs and facilities to help keep residents' minds and bodies active, as well as flexible community spaces, designed for residents to gather, connect and relax.
Oceania villages also offer a seamless transition to clinical care and aged-care living.
Sanderson Group
Sanderson operates two high-end retirement villages: Matamata Country Club and the Tamahere Country Club, both in the Waikato. It is also currently building Omokoroa Country Club in the Bay of Plenty.
The Tamahere Country Club features architecturally designed villas and apartments with an on-site clubhouse, health spa, and plans for a care unit.
Matamata Country Club has 132 high-quality homes, and when fully complete will feature a rest home, hospital and dementia care facility. Resident facilities will include a clubhouse and a health spa, with a pool, gym, sauna.
Choosing the right retirement village for you
Due to the property ownership structures in place in retirement villages, and the ongoing costs residents pay for the many amenities and care packages on offer, living in a retirement community is not cheap.
And, as Canstar Blue's latest research shows, cost is the major concern for those enjoying the benefits of retirement village life. Close to half of those in our survey (44%) say Value for Money as their biggest concern when it comes to rating their satisfaction with their retirement village provider.
That's almost double the number of people who rate both Atmosphere (23%) and Accommodation (19%) as their biggest concerns.
Here's the full rundown of what those in our survey say are the main things they consider when rating their choice of retirement villages:
- Value for Money: 44%
- Atmosphere: 23%
- Accommodation: 19%
- Facilities: 10%
- Location: 5%
