My Life My Village - NZ's Best Villages & Care + RVResidents Members Magazine

East Cape Panorama Tour

Departs 7 Feb, 8 Mar, 2 April 2023

6 days | $2599pp from Auckland

$2699pp from Tauranga

7 days | $2999pp from Wellington/Christchurch

No extra cost for single room

Christchurch and Wellington passengers overnight in Auckland. Coach via Tauranga through to Whakatane (1 night), Pacific Coast Highway – an epic stretch of road with picture postcard views via Opotiki, Te Kaha, Whanarua Bay. Overnight Hicks Bay Motor Lodge with magnificent views. Follow the rugged coastline through Te Araroa, Ruatoria, Tokomaru Bay and the wharf at Tologa Bay. On to Gisborne (2 nights). Visit Wainui Beach, botanic gardens and Eastwoodhill Arboretum. Rotorua for overnight before Hamilton Gardens and return to Auckland. Includes full size touring coach, quality accommodation, all breakfasts and dinners, some lunches, all sightseeing, return airfares from Wellington and Christchurch. Free home pick up and return in the greater Auckland/Tauranga/Wellington/Christchurch areas within 25K of airport.

Prices available from other centres.

Southern Vista

Featuring Dark Sky Experience at Aoraki/Mt Cook

Departs 14 Feb, 19 April 23

8 days | $4099pp share twin from Auckland/Wellington/ Tauranga – 6 days | $3480 share twin from Christchurch

Fly to Christchurch (2 nights), visit French township of Akaroa, Giants Garden dinner on the Tramcar Restaurant. Onto scenic Aoraki/Mt Cook, The Hermitage (2 nights). Voted the world’s largest international Night Sky Reserve, enjoy an experience you will long remember (weather dependent). Take a turn at the telescope to see the stars and planets as we thought never possible. Enjoy a 3D presentation in the Dome which sits alongside the Sir Edmund Hilary Museum. Via Wanaka to Queenstown (3 nights). Day trip to Glenorchy and TSS Earnslaw cruise and gourmet BBQ dinner at Walter Peak. Includes return airfaires from Auckland/Wellington/Tauranga (Christchurch passengers join on Day 3 and fly back from Queenstown). Quality accommodation, all breakfasts and dinners, some lunches. Full size touring coach and experienced driver, Tour Manager from Auckland back to Auckland. All sightseeing, including Dark Sky Experience and Dome Presentation. FREE home pickup and return Auckland/Wellington/Tauranga or Christchurch areas.

Sydney Stayput

Featuring Handa Opera on the Harbour

Madama Butterfly

5 days | Departs 18 April 2023

Fly to Sydney (4 nights), all breakfasts, 3 dinners, 2 lunches. Sydney sights including Bondi, The Rocks & Northern Beaches. Enjoy the famous Mail Cruise on the Hawkesbury River – Premium seats to Opera on the Harbour – Madama Butterfly overlooking the stage complete with a bamboo grove, a giant moon and a rising sun floating on Sydney Harbour. All this with a backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and thousands of twinkling lights from the city. Spectacular! We only have limited seats so don’t miss out. Experienced Tour Manager with you from Auckland, including return airfares from Auckland/Wellington or Christchurch (check from other areas for domestic add ons). We also offer FREE home pick up and return in the main centres within 25k of the airport.

Southern Circle

Featuring Tranz Alpine & Coastal Pacific Trains

Abel Tasman National Park & Queen Charlotte Sounds

10 days | $4350pp share twin

Departs 8 Feb, 15 Mar, 12 April 2023

Christchurch (2 nights) including Tramcar restaurant. World famous Tranz Alpine train to Greymouth – Punakaiki overnight where we stay right on the beach. Visit Pancake Rocks, Charleston and the Nile River Rainforest Railway journey. Via Westport to Nelson (2 nights). Cruise the spectacular Abel Tasman National Park with lunch. Picton (2 nights) via Blenheim. Visit Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre. Cruise on the Sounds to Lochmara Lodge where we enjoy lunch. Join the scenic Coastal Pacific train along the stunning coastline via Kaikoura to Christchurch overnight before flying home. Includes return airfares from Wellington (ask about other centres). All breakfasts and dinners, quality accommodation, full size touring coach with experienced coach driver, all sightseeing and cruises. Tour manager, free home pick up and return from Wellington (25km from airport).

Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington

Scenic Southern Splendour

Including Stewart Island

Departs 3, 25 Mar, 20 April 2023

9 days | $4399pp share twin

Fly to Dunedin (3 nights) full of Scottish Heritage, visit Albatross Colony, Botanic Gardens and Chinese Gardens, lunch at Larnach Castle. Coach through The Southern Scenic Route – The Catlins. Overnight Invercargill, fly to Stewart Island (2 nights). Explore Oban and enjoy cruise of Paterson Inlet, Ulva Island. Back to Invercargill and join our coach for the short journey to Queenstown (2 nights), sights Arrowtown and farewell cruise including Gourmet BBQ dinner to Walter Peak. Includes return airfares from Auckland/Tauranga/ Wellington/Christchurch (prices available for other centres), all breakfasts & dinners, some lunches, full size touring coach, quality accommodation, all sightseeing mentioned, experienced Tour Manager. FREE home pick up and return from Auckland/Tauranga/ Wellington/Christchurch (conditions apply).

Country Lanes of Ireland, Scotland & England 2023

Featuring Edinburgh Tattoo

29 Days $17995.00 per person share twin

Departs 30 July 2023

Flying Singapore Airlines (2 night stopover in Singapore), On to Dublin (3 nights) 24 hour Hop on Hop off bus, Book of Kells, Killarney (2 nights), Jaunting car, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, Derry with guided walk, Giants Causeway, Belfast, Titanic Exhibition. Fly to Edinburgh (3 nights) Hop on hop off bus, Edinburgh Tattoo, Lake District (2 nights) overlooking the lake, Beatrix Potter Museum, Steam Train, Cruise on Lake, York (3 nights), Whitby, Castle Howard, Chester. Cotswolds (3 nights), Bath with guided tour, Stratford on Avon with guided tour, Blenheim Palace, Oxford, London (3 nights) Overnight Singapore on way home. Includes airfares from Auckland/Wellington/Christchurch – Quality accommodation, full sized Touring coach, all breakfasts, most dinners, all sightseeing mentioned in brochure. Can stay on at end of tour if prefer. Upgrades to Premium or Business subject to availability. Limited to 25 passengers

From the President’s Desk

Well, what a whirlwind few months. With multiple submissions to government agencies, select committees and 12 presentations over the North Island in 20 days, there has been a lot happening. Our membership is now heading towards 10,000 thanks to the hard work of our Village Contacts.

Peter Carr, Nigel Matthews and myself met with Minister Woods in late August. At this meeting she instructed her Officials that she wanted the review of the Retirement Villages Act 2003 to be fully scoped by the close of this year, and wanted a first reading in the House before next year’s election.

We then met with the Officials late Oct 22. It was apparent that little progress had been made with the scope document, but they committed to have it on the Ministers desk before Christmas 2022.

Over the next 18 months your Residents Association will continue to actively engage the Minister and Officials, along with support from Consumer NZ and other associations. The Association will be faced with extra costs during this next period, so please continue with your support.

It is essential that all MP’s are aware of the issues with the current Retirement Villages Act, and with 2023 being an election year - your local MP’s need to hear from you too.

We are launching Associate Memberships available for individuals (not yet in a village) and family members. This will allow those close to you to be kept informed and help support fairer terms on exit – which affects all of our families. I have made a personal commitment to pay the first year Subscription for my 3 children. I challenge all of you to do the same.

I look forward to meeting many of you in 2023.

Welcome to RVResidents First “Members Magazine”

When the National Association launched from four regional associations in 2015, its mission was simple - ‘a local ear, a national voice.’ It relied on $5 memberships and one Secretary (Dick Williams, 83 years young) to record, and manage the subs of 2000+ members on an Excel spreadsheet. Dick also put the newsletter together and then uploaded it to the RVRANZ website for people to read.

Today, the Association is in quite a different position, thanks to the tireless work of both past and current teams of volunteers and village contacts. RVResidents now has nearly 10,000 financial supporters, representing a sector that is home to almost 50,000 retirement village residents. The work of the Association has been possible because of the financial support of members and family throughout the country. This ‘Member’s Edition’ is made possible by the advertisers, sponsors and membership fees we receive. If you’re not a supporter and would like to know more, then contact registrar@rvr.org.nz

Inside you’ll find:

• Great Initiatives by Village Operators (pg 4)

• A year of submissions, sudden reforms and sector review... 2022 in Review (pg 5)

• Supporting RVResidents. What legislative change could look like. (pg 8)

• RVR’s Best Practice Score (pg 10)

• What did you say?!? Hearing difficulties in Retirement Villages (pg 12)

• Voicing a Concern (pg 16)

Regards,

Brian Peat National President

PS. If you are not yet a member, please sign up. There are approximately 50,000 residents in Villages, and we would like to think that every resident can become a member of RVResidents.

• Opinion Piece + Book Review (pg 18)

For acronym definitions, please see pg 2 of New Zealand’s Best.

Titanic Cartoon pg 5: Used with permission lamontagneart.com

Dick Williams (right) receives ‘Lifetime’ Award for service to the Association.

Great Initiatives by Operators…

With much discussion in the media on an upcoming legislative review for retirement villages, plus ‘trial’ sector reforms, it’s refreshing when operators innovate or make changes for the express benefit of residents (existing and prospective). We highlight some of those initiatives above minimum / legislated standards.

Capital Gain:

Karaka and Freedom Villages both offer ORA’s that share the vast majority (75%+) of the capital gain with residents. Hopper Living, Vivid Living, and trusts like Tainui also have options to share in the capital gain in their villages. Residents want this!

Repair of Chattels:

Unlike residential tenancies where the landlord is responsible for the repairs and maintenance of the owner’s chattels, most village operators do not. This can come as a bit of a shock, especially when the resident does not own them, or has had no say in the purchase of them. Some chattels may even be several years old when a resident moves in While Summerset, Ryman and several other operators, including some not for profits have covered repairs and maintenance for a while, Arvida has also recently updated its Occupation Right Agreement (“ORA”) terms, retroactively, to cover costs for repairs and maintenance to chattels that come with the units. Arvida have implemented a cloud-based solution to better manage repairs and maintenance. Arvida General Manager for Village

Services, Kay Marshall, says the innovation ensures a more efficient and seamless maintenance experience for residents, and staying “one step ahead of repairs”. Another nice touch, Acacia Cove provides free emergency pendants to it’s residents and offers free daily check up calls, if they so desire.

Changing your mind:

Being sure the move into a village is the right one for you, doesn’t always happen until after you’ve moved in. Ryman and a handful of other operators offer a 90 money back period for residents to be sure, while Chatsford Lifestyle Village offers a 6 month guarantee, which is excellent.

Return of funds at exit:

Most residents (and lawyers) do not consider the implications of what happens, financially, when you leave a village - normally due to a change in personal circumstances or health needs. While a number of operators might pay out on a case by case basis, many won’t until they have re-licenced the unit. Ryman stand by the statement, that in 35 years they’ve never kept anyone waiting longer than 6 months for their capital. Bupa had a 6 month guarantee, but removed it.

Vivid Living, by Fletchers Building, however, have a solution that will see residents receive 10% of their funds at exit (to help with any immediate costs) and then guarantee return of funds within 4 months while still sharing capital gain!

Wider Community:

Community integration and intergenerational living is becoming a bigger deal today. Wintons’s Northbrook later living villages are part of existing Winton masterplanned neighbourhoods, aiming to facilitate ongoing intergenerational community connection as residents live their later years at Northbrook. Vivid Living are also following a similar approach. Others, like Arvida, engage within the community with their ‘Good Friends’ Living Well Centres, and others have cafes or programmes that connect with the wider community.

The future?:

While it’s too early to say what changes might come from a legislative review, it’s clear that some operators can, and do, initiate great, resident-centric changes retrospectively for their customers. We look forward to seeing what other operators do that will have a positive impact on the sector.

RVResidents: A year of submissions, sudden reforms and sector review... 2022 in Review

Whether you’re in a smaller not-for-profit village unit or a ‘resort-style’ villa - the concept of retirement village living can be a fantastic option - and for many, it is just that. By and large, we get the benefit of security, peace of mind, a like-minded community to share our days with - and we can prettymuch tick the “happiness box”… until something happens.

RVResidents have invested considerable time and resources over the last 24 months into ensuring the voice and concerns of residents are heard at a governmental level, while endeavouring to work with the national operators association (RVA) to see self-regulatory reform implemented. Unfortunately, self reform seems to be taking just as long as a full legislative review will take, and those reforms currently fall short of providing a fair and equitable balance.

What changes are needed?

Well, that’s easily summed up - “better consumer protection for vulnerable village residents”. Some of the questions that residents ask which show that this is needed are;

• Is it fair that I have to keep paying a weekly fee after I exit, even until the new resident moves in?

That “something” can be a change in health, a family crisis, the loss of a loved one, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most staff and residents are suited for village life, but some are not, and if one of them is your neighbour or a manager / owner then your options can be very limited. It’s when the ‘something’ suddenly happens that the policies, processes and framework gets tested. No one expected the ‘Titanic’ to sink, until it did, and then it was too late to ask why it only had 1/3 of the lifeboats needed to save all its passengers?

This might not be a Titanic situation yet, but over the last 20 years that the Retirement Villages Act has been in place, the landscape has changed, and the processes developed back then would not have envisaged today’s market, nor how the village model has swung to an operator-biased position.

• Should an operator be able to keep accruing the deferred management fee (DMF) after I exit?

• If I don’t share in the capital gain, should I be liable for any capital loss, if there is one?

• Is it fair to have to pay two DMF’s in the one village?

• Are there limits on how much an operator can charge me to transfer between apartments?

• Do all villages offer fixed weekly fees?

• Can an operator make a unilateral change to the village without consultation?

• If I want to lodge a complaint, is there someone that can help me sort it out in a timely manner?

• Why do I have to wait for the operator to relicense my unit before I get my money back?

• How come I’m responsible for repairing and maintaining chattels if I don’t own them? I wouldn’t have to if I was renting.

2022 in Review (continued)

What’s happened to date?

Working to get legislative change has not happened overnight. It’s taken years of talking to government agencies to understand how the system works and who makes the decisions.

Here’s a snapshot of what it has taken over the last three years to get to a review.

2019

Nov 2019 - CFFC Retirement Villages Forum in Christchurch. The then Assoc. Minister for Housing, Chris Faafoi states that they will not be in a position to look at a review until after they have completed their work on the Residential Tenancies Act due mid 2020.

2020

July 2020 - No progress.

Nov 2020 - After discussions with the RVR, the CFFC launches a White Paper into the Retirement Village sector. No printed response forms - only online. RVResidents successfully lobby to have printed forms received by the CFFC if the RVR arranges print and distribution. RVR does so.

2021

Feb 2021 - RVR submits 2000 of the 3500+ responses submitted. A staggering 98.5% of the RVR respondents agree that it is ‘timely, effective and efficient for a [full] policy review’ of the retirement villages framework to be undertaken. Only 1% of RVR respondents disagreed. CFFC delays release of results due to unprecedented response.

March 2021 - RVR Exec have a combined meeting with Minister Ayesha Verrall (Minister for Seniors and Associated Minister of Health) and Minister Poto Williams (Minister of Police and Associate Minister of Housing) - both with several support staff, to discuss the sector.

May 2021 - Associate Minister of Housing, Poto Williams, states there are ‘no immediate plans’ to review the legislation.

May 2021 - RVResidents begins a petition calling for 1. An urgent review and 2. Repayment of capital back to residents within 28 days of exit.

May 2021 - CFFC releases findings from White Paper Report calling for ‘an urgent review of the Retirement Villages Act’.

June 2021 - Associate Minister of Housing revisits her original statement and says that it looks like a review ‘is warranted’.

Aug 2021 - RVR develops the ‘Framework for Fairness’A Guide to Best Practice in Retirement Villages.

Nov 2021 - RVR presents a 12,500 signed petition to Simon Bridges, Christopher Luxon and other National MP’s on parliament steps.

Dec 2021 - RVR meets with Assoc. Minister of Housing, Poto Williams, who says she will be instructing her officials to commence the review immediately.

Dec 2021 - RVR meets with Ministry of Housing officials and are advised that it won’t commence until later in 2023.

2022

Jan 2022 - RVR contacts Assoc. Minister of Housing over concern with her instructions being ‘misunderstood’ by her officials.

Feb 2022 - Ministry of Housing confirms that it now will begin work on the scoping immediately (only to be delayed by some ‘urgent’ resource work).

March 2022 - RVR submits documentation to the Select Committee.

May 2022 - Retirement Commission holds an online workshop to discuss the complaints process. RVR gives solid presentation using over 1600 members feedback.

Aug 2022 - RVR holds first ‘Inspire’ Workshop for Exec and RVR Regional contacts to discuss the legislative review.

Aug 2022 - RVR invited to attend and present at Retirement Villages forum held at Parliament House. The protections in the new residential tenancies act were compared to the current RV Act and the concept of using the ‘Bank of Grandma and Grandad’ to build new villages was presented.

Aug 2022 - RVR Speaks to Select Committee and utilises a ‘Villageopoly’ game to help explain the catches with some village contracts. Media pick up on this and it is featured in Stuff, NZ Herald and NBR. The Operators Assoc. (RVA) quickly respond to media calling the game ‘contrived’, ‘convoluted’ and ‘ignoring reality’.

Sept 2022 - Consumer NZ speaks to the Select Committee in support of both the RVR’s urgent review and 28 day return of funds. Same day Consumer also publish “Mary’s” story, originally presented to the Select Committee by RVR in the Villageopoly game. Mary has been waiting over 9 months since leaving her villa to get her money back, and is facing an additional $60,000 in extra accrued DMF and weekly fee charges (plus interest) after exiting her unit. Over 13 media stories / channels pickup and run the story in what could be said as one of the biggest media frenzies involving Retirement Villages.

Sept 2022 - RVA releases it’s 9 points of ‘self-regulatory reform’ for trial by RVA members. Operators of 50 units or less are excluded from some of the remits, including the village Mary was in. RVR express disappointment in the apparent ‘window dressing’ approach.

Sept 2022 - RVR lodges a complaint with the Commerce Commission on unfair terms.

Oct 2022 - Select Committee requests further information on the RVR’s response to the Oct 2022 - RVR submits documentation supporting 6 widespread unfair clauses, plus another 11 potentially unfair.

Oct 2022 - RVR meets again with Ministry of Housing officials to confirm scoping of review will be completed before close of 2022.

Nov 2022 - RVR goes to print on it’s first ‘members’ magazine, in conjunction with ‘NZ’s Best’ Magazine.

What happens now?

1. We expect the scoping document to be published late Dec 2022 / Jan 2023.

2. A plan will be shared with RVR members to progress the review and communicate residents feedback at the start of 2023.

3. We need your support and continued membership for legislative change.

What legislative change could look like

During 2023 the policy writers will be consulting with sector stakeholders to draft a legislative document for review. If we have the funding then we can continue to provide feedback and more important, evidence-based research to help the policy writers make informed and balanced changes that will benefit both CURRENT and future residents.

We will pursue;

1. Making the legal framework & documents easy to understand.

2. Improving the transfers between independent units and care.

3. Clear, regular disclosure of the types of care available by an operator.

4. Weekly fees to be fixed and cease on exit.

5. A simple complaints process with an authorised Ombudsman-type role.

6. A single agency with overall jurisdiction for the RV sector.

7. Transparent audits for all villages.

8. Mandatory village management training.

9. That Operators to be responsible for repairs and maintenance, and regular replacement of their chattels.

10. Ensuring villages involve residents in regular health and safety checks of the village.

11. That Operators be required to have staff available with first aid certificate training.

12. A complete overhaul of the repayment of a residents capital after exit.

13. Removal of capital loss clauses.

14. Removal of double DMF’s and ongoing accrual of DMF’s after exit.

The expanded version of these points can be found in the RVR’s Framework for Fairness at www.rvr.org.nz/resources

What will it take to get these changes?

RVResidents have forecast costs for the next 18 months. Based on the following membership rates, 2000 additional friends & family associates, and a 10% increase in members, we believe we can continue to fund the necessary evidence-based research to help policy-writers during the time that they are drafting the legislation.

Joining Fee (one off) $10 per person

Full membership 1yr 5yr 10yr Single $30 $150 $295 Couple $40 $195 $395

Donors / Associates / Prospective Residents

Friends & Family

$25 per individual (online access only)

Corporate/Organisations/Members

$350 per company

What you will receive…

Full members receive; Membership Card, Annual Members Magazine (Normally retails for $20), Voting rights, Involvement in feedback to MP’s and Policy Officials, bi-monthly e-newsletters and discounts.

Donors / Associates receive; Bi-monthly e-newsletters and discounts. Your association championing our residents.

Supporting RVResidents...

Yes, keen to subscribe

NEW RENEWAL (please tick one)

If renewing, simply enter your name and CH number, if you have it.

Retirement Village Name

Your Name

Partners Name (if applicable)

Address

Phone ( ) Mobile ( )

Email Address

* Year born 19

* Year born 19

Joining fee $10 per person + Membership Type (new memberships only)

MEMBERSHIP TYPE:

ANNUAL

Single $30 Couple $40 or MULTIPLE YEARS

Single 5yr $150 10yr $295

Couple 5yr $195 10yr $395

Total to pay $

Method of Payment:

Bank Deposit Date: ___________

Given to your village RVR contact person ______________

* Year born is optional but helps us inform government policy makers on the average age of residents in retirement villages.

Subscription Account: Westpac 03 0389 000 4586 05

Yes, willing to donate

To keep our subscription affordable for everyone, we rely on donations from members that are in a financial position to assist further. These donations go specifically to costs associated with independent legal advice and financial / evidence assistance as part of our legislative initiatives.

All donations over $5 are tax deductible. We will email you a receipt (or we can post one if no email is available).

Your Name

Email or Postal Address

Donations Account: Westpac 03 0389 000 4586 05

Credit Card (Visa/Mastercard) ____ ____ ____ ____ Exp __/__

DONATION AMOUNT: $20 $50 $100 $250 $____________

Method of Payment:

Bank Deposit Date:

Given to your village RVR contact person ______________

Credit Card (Visa/Mastercard) ____ ____ ____ ____ Exp __/__

Whether it’s as a village contact, collecting subscriptions, entering memberships, or Exec / governance work - this Association exists because of the time given by people wanting to see improvements to ORA’s and better consumer protection. If you would like to help, let us know.

Your Name

Yes, happy to volunteer RVResidents Association

Email Address Phone ( )

NEW Best Practice Score for Villages

Historically, comparing retirement village offerings on paper has been extremely difficult. You normally only get a copy of the ORA just prior to signing up. Only since April 2020 has the RVA (Operators Assoc.) introduced a Key Terms Summary (KTS) for its members and made it mandatory, but again, you may only get to see the KTS when you receive the ORA… and that’s if they give you one. If they don’tmake sure to ask.

The RVR has worked on a Best Practice score for the past 18 months, to help prospective and existing residents compare village offerings. We ask 18 questions, mostly related to financial terms in ORA’s.

We then use a multiplier to weight some answers more than others, and the result is a percentage score out of 100. Where a question is not answered, we calculate the percentage without that question.

About the table:

We’ve listed a handful of providers, including the “Big 6”. Most of the data has been supplied by residents and, where possible we have verified it with the operator. The data is focused on Independent Living Units only. ORA terms for Serviced Apartments and Care Suites are likely to be different. We’ve made every effort to have the

data correct at time of printing, but recommend you check with the operator.

Where you see a *, the provider may have updated it but still have this as an existing term or are looking to update it retroactively. It may also only partially apply. We recommend you check with the provider.

Each answer is scored based on the benefit to the resident eg. A minimum age of entry of 55 or less scores max points, while an age of 75 or over scores lowest. We have used colour bands to indicate the score range achieved by providers. The smiley faces should be self explanatory!

Further details about the Best Practice scoring can be found at www.rvr.org.nz/resources.

What did you say?!?

Hearing difficulties in the Communal Areas of Retirement Villages

Opinion piece by Ron Goodey CNZM, BMedSci, MB ChB, FRACS… and fellow resident.

The prime purpose of retirement village businesses is to create profit for their shareholders. However, their core business is to develop & then operate villages which meet the needs of elderly customers. When elderly folk move into retirement villages we free up homes for families. We accept a degree of downsizing and decluttering. However, we do not expect, nor should we accept, a downgrading of the quality of accommodation or of the environment in which we live.

For most residents, and especially for those who live alone, the main place to communicate, develop friendships and enjoy supportive collegiality, is in the communal rooms and cafeteria. Unfortunately, many residents in many of New Zealand’s retirement villages find they cannot hear each other in the communal rooms and cafeterias, especially during social gatherings. Therefore, they have difficulty developing the friendships and the supportive collegiality they desperately need. Consequently, these residents tend to retire depressed from communal activities to the loneliness of their dwelling.

Why it is difficult to hear in the indoor communal rooms of many retirement villages.

How we hear. When we speak, the sounds we create are vibrations in which air molecules bump against each other carrying our words across the room, including to those we are speaking to. The vibrating air molecules then cause the listeners eardrum to vibrate which causes a chain of 3 tiny hearing bones to vibrate which then cause vibrations of thousands of microscopic hairs arranged in long rows within our inner ears. The microscopic hairs at one end of the rows vibrate mostly with high tones & at the other end with low tones. As the hairs vibrate, the tiny cells from which they arise release chemicals which create electrical messages in adjacent nerve endings. Those electrical messages are then carried through the nerves to the hearing centres within our brain where we recognise the meaning conveyed by the sound waves.

Aging effect. As we age, the hair cells which vibrate with high frequency sounds deteriorate & many die. Our ability to hear high frequency consonants deteriorates even in ideal environments. Hearing aids help us make better use of the hair cells we still have but do not replace the missing hair cells. Background noise reduces the ability of everyone to hear consonants & understand speech, but it is disastrous for elderly folk who have lost hair cells.

Solution.

Fortunately, there is a measure which greatly reduces background noise in indoor communal areas and therefore helps us to hear the essential hightoned consonants. If a large surface (ceiling or wall) is made from adequate sound absorbing material, then as low frequency sounds hit that surface, they are absorbed by it as if by a giant vacuum cleaner. To be effective the material must have highly specialised sound absorbing properties and it must be very thick so that all sound energy which hits it is absorbed. Some of that surface may need extra specifications to capture the lowest tones.

Expertise in planning and installing satisfactory acoustic environments is readily available in New Zealand and has been for a long time.

“Recommended Design Sound Levels and Reverberation Times for Building Interiors” were first developed in Australia in 1977, revised for Australia & New Zealand in 2000 & again in 2016 (AS/NZS 2107:2016)”. The current recommendations were adopted by the NZ Standards Approval Board on

6 September 2016 as replacement for the earlier ones. “This standard recommends design criteria for conditions affecting the acoustic environment within building interiors to ensure a healthy, comfortable and productive environment for the occupants and the users.” They are recommended for environments whose occupants have normal hearing. They should be exceeded in retirement villages, most of whose residents do not have normal hearing.

Why the solution has been overlooked in many villages.

While the expertise to plan & install acoustic treatments which meet the Australian & New Zealand design recommendations is readily available there is no compulsion to do so. The developers and designers of many retirement villages in New Zealand have not adopted them nor any measures to provide a favourable acoustic environment in indoor communal areas and cafeterias. It is impossible to believe that their architects & designers were unaware of the recommendations and failed to brief senior management. Virtually everyone knows that elderly people tend to have trouble hearing.

Consequences

of absent acoustic design.

Inability to hear and enjoy friendship and camaraderie is disappointing and frustrating for everyone and provokes anger towards the developers who ignored the need of future residents to converse with each other. Inability to converse is especially distressing for those who live alone in apartments and who rely on the communal areas for socialising and conversation. This situation creates loneliness and aggravates depression. While the failure of the developers and designers to adopt the AS/NZS 2107:2016 recommendations adversely affects all residents in the deficient villages, it is potentially life-threatening for those who live alone and are depressed.

Avoiding

& fixing the mistakes of the past.

As the expertise is readily available, incorporating the Australian and New Zealand design recommendations into new constructions should be straightforward and achievable with modest cost.

Continued over page.

What did you say?!? Hearing difficulties in the Communal Areas of Retirement Villages continued.

Developers of retirement villages need to be encouraged or compelled to do so as soon as possible to avoid further acoustically inhospitable villages being developed.

Retrospectively correcting the omissions of the past is more complex and more expensive. Most often the ceilings of communal rooms will need to be removed and replaced with professionally designed acoustic ceilings. This needs to be done in every indoor communal area which does not meet or exceed the Australian and New Zealand design recommendations. Senior managers need to own up to directors and shareholders that there has been a major omission which needs to be corrected.

In the meantime, potential residents should be informed for which villages the AS/NZ 2107:2016 recommendations were adopted or exceeded. These villages seldom advertise and capitalise on this important feature. It would be a significant help to potential retirement village residents if representatives of villages which provide excellent acoustic environments in their communal rooms would share that knowledge by emailing the RVRA.

Summary.

Many developers of retirement villages have not attempted to implement the recommendations adopted by the New Zealand Standards Approval Board for Design Sound Levels & Reverberation Times for Building Interiors. Because of this omission, it is difficult for anyone to hear conversation correctly at communal functions in these neglected villages. This omission on the part of developers encourages many residents to withdraw from hopeless social interaction in communal rooms and cafeterias and this aggravates their loneliness and depression. It is currently up to the residents to request the communal acoustic environment be professionally assessed and the resulting recommendations implemented. This will often require removal of the hard ceilings and their replacement with professionally designed acoustic paneling. Doing this is likely to be very disruptive for about two weeks.

It is up to everyone to agitate to have the professionally approved AS/NZS 2107:2016 recommendations become a compulsory minimum requirement for all new retirement villages so that future residents are able to enjoy communal rooms for the communication, friendship and support of their peers and are protected from loneliness and depression.

Consumer NZ on Retirement villages

Caitlin Cherry – Head of Content at Consumer NZ

Over the past few years, Consumer NZ has undertaken several investigations into different aspects of retirement villages – from impenetrable contracts to care failures and villages not providing promised advanced care services.

More recently, we told the story of an 80-year-old woman who had to leave her unit at a boutique village after her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. A year on, her unit had not sold –leaving her, by then a widow, in financial limbo.

This is unacceptable, in our view. We agree with the RVRA that the Retirement Villages Act and Code of Practice need to be urgently reviewed, including requiring a village to return capital to departing residents within 28 days of exit.

We do know that many residents do get a lot out of retirement village life – in particular the freedom from home maintenance, the community and activities, and the safety and security villages can offer. But when things don’t go so well, it is the residents who suffer.

In August we appeared before Parliament’s Social Services and Community Committee, in support of the RVRA’s petition calling on the Government to address the imbalance of power between retirement village residents and operators. There is a fair bit of pushback from the Retirement Villages Association but we are hopeful that the Government will act to make the system fairer for all.

If you support the work we are doing with the RVR to help retirement village residents and all the other work we do to benefit consumers in New Zealand, we’d greatly appreciate your help with a donation. Just go to www.consumer.org.nz

Fish hooks: What to look out for.

Who must inform a prospective resident on the effects of moving into a village? Their lawyer.

So, to help lawyers better understand the sector and what residents ‘wish’ they’d been told, Peter Carr, our past RVR President, Nigel Matthews (RVR CE), and Troy Churton, Independent Consultant have been speaking to New Zealand Law Society members in a recent ‘professional development’ webinar.

Much of the advice offered is thanks to the stories and case studies shared by RVResident membersand most of the concerns from residents relate to exit circumstances and processes.

A 2022 ‘inhouse’ survey of RVResidents members identified the 5 most important issues;

1. Weekly fees stopping on exit.

2. A mandated time frame for residents to receive their capital back (less the DMF)

3. No share in the capital gain

4. Repairs and maintenance of operators chattels

5. Easy to follow ORA’s

“We are recommending that lawyers: 1. Take considerable time and care to satisfy themselves that the clients genuinely appreciate the exit terms.

2. Counsel their clients to consider how the client’s appreciation of the exit terms of the ORA may change over time, meaning the client may feel they have very little choice or rights in future years.” says Peter, and

3. That prospective residents include the person who will hold their enduring power of attorney at the lawyers meeting. This will ensure that close family members appreciate the whole picture from the start.

Case studies, such as ‘Mary’, widowed, aged 80 waiting for her money nearly a year after giving notice and accruing an extra $65,000 in DMF and weekly fees - while not even living in the unit, have shocked a number of people spoken to*.

Other questions explored in the seminar included;

• If I want to get out early - the effect of the DMF over time?

• Has the market shifted? Will I be able to buy back into the housing market?

• When will I get my money back after I leave?

• Can I get a mortgage or loan if I need to?

• Effect of the estate / beneficiaries to the estate?

• Refurbishment and repairs - who pays?

• The extent of support/advocacy services for residents during their tenure if complaints or issues arise being quite limited.

• Many residents wish they had a better understanding of how to make a formal complaint or use the complaint and dispute panel processes to influence a better outcome for the resident.

• Bringing in a pet. Usually operators impose a limit on numbers of pets and non-replacement of pet clauses are common.

• If I make some changes to the unit do I have to return it back to its original state (at my cost) prior to exit?

• Can I negotiate an ORA if a spouse is under the minimum entry age?

• What are my rights if the operator lifts the entry age to only allow older people?

A similar seminar was also presented to Financial Advisers earlier in the year by Nigel and Peter with very positive feedback. “We see this as an important opportunity to upskill the people that advise New Zealanders looking to move into a village.”

* At the time of going to print, “Mary” had still not received her money back after giving notice 14 months ago. This is one of the unfair outcomes of most ORA’s and why RVResidents have petitioned the government for change.

Voicing a concern regarding village life or care

Whether you’ve lived in a happy retirement residence for years, or just moved into a village, the ideal living circumstances would involve a harmonious relationship with your neighbours, staff and management.

As much as we’d love this, it isn’t always the case, and sometimes we can find challenges that we can no longer ignore.

With most concerns, your first port of call should be trying to informally resolve the issue with the Village

Manager or individual involved. Often there is an easy solution and with a bit of common sense and respect, issues that we thought were a big deal can be amicably resolved. It might help to prepare yourself before approaching the situation by jotting down clearly what the issue is, the impact it is having on you and the resolution you would like. This preparation alone might be the key to moving forward.

If you find the informal approach unsuccessful and you want to take your concern further, you might then check the village's complaint policy. Legally, every operator must have a written complaint policy that complies with the Retirement Villages Code of Practice. The policy must be available in common areas for residents to access or view at any time, and available on the retirement village’s intranet or website. Upon request, an operator must also offer a copy of the complaint policy to a resident who wants to make a formal complaint.

RVResidents offers a useful online form to assist RVR members and residents in making a formal complaint to their village. It steps through a simple process and then sends it off to the parties selected by the user. The idea of this is to eliminate the need for you to find the Statutory Supervisors and other agencies email addresses. You can find this form here www. rvranz.org.nz/formal-complaint/

When raising a complaint, your village or care provider should always treat you with courtesy and respect.

The operator must acknowledge your complaint in 5 working days and resolve it (to your satisfaction) within 20 working days. If it is not resolved, it can be referred to the statutory supervisor (which may take another 20 working days) and then, failing that, a mediator. The costs are covered by the operator (except where the complaint is between 2 residentsthen it is split 3 ways).

If the complaint still remains unresolved a resident may file a dispute notice to have the matter heard before a dispute panel. A resident may also choose to file a dispute notice if a formal complaint remains unresolved after 20 working days of filing the formal complaint.

Some facilities offer additional ways to voice a concern, over and above their legal requirements, which might assist you to feel more comfortable.

What about Aged Care?

Although RVResidents focuses primarily on assisting those living independently in retirement villages, the lines can begin to blur when we have Retirement Village ORA’s that offer hospital level care. So, when dealing with aged care, again, an informal approach may be all that is needed. However, the process from there on is different to that of a village, and there is also more assistance available.

For complaints about aged care services, you can contact a Nationwide Health and Disability Advocate on 0800 555 050 to discuss your complaint and the best way to resolve it, or go to the Advocacy Service website: www.advocacy.org. nz. You can contact HDC directly via the website, www.hdc.org.nz, or by phone, 0800 11 22 33

If you choose to contact the Ministry of Health, please be aware that gathering information can take time, and there is a process that will need to be followed. Any complaints about costs relating to care, you can talk to your residential care provider, the DHB, seek legal advice or go to the disputes tribunal.

Does this system work and what could a better complaints system look like?

The RVResident’s White Paper submission emphasised that it takes a great degree of effort

for an elderly couple, single or a widow in their 70’s/80’s, to make a complaint. With health issues normally being cited as one of the reasons for ‘downsizing’ and moving into a village, many older people will choose to avoid stressful situations. Therefore, many residents find it difficult to approach an operator where they have felt powerless, victimised, bullied, or not listened to.

The RVR believes best practice would follow the proven Banking Ombudsman Scheme incorporating revised timeframes to better reflect the size of the sector and its demographics. ie. A complaint is;

• acknowledged by the operator or forwarded to the operator within 5 working days,

• ideally resolved by the operator within 10 working days from receipt by the operator, otherwise automatically referred to the Ombudsman for further involvement.

The advantages are;

1. A speedy process with clear steps and timelines that are easily understood, and no prolonged mediation process.

2. A system for both residents and operators to have input into fair outcomes.

3. Saves on costs for operators and avoids the need for legal representation (but would allow for an advocate to speak on behalf of the resident if requested).

4. Gives a commissioner or independent Ombudsman the legal authority to investigate, determine and enforce any decisions.

5. Makes any decision binding on the operator, but still allows residents to pursue recourse through other legal avenues, if not satisfied.

Key Points: For now, the current complaints system is all we really have to work with. If you’ve had a chat with your Village Manager and despite best efforts, haven’t been able to resolve the issue, you might like to involve your Residents Committee, a local advocate or an RVR contact. They can usually give some additional perspective as well as support you with the complaint process. Talk to the Retirement Commission. Remember, keep a cool head, and the resolution you want in the forefront of your mind. It’s your home and you’ve paid good money to enjoy it!

We don’t always think 20 years ahead...

Opinion piece by Patricia, Bay of Plenty Village Resident.

My husband Alastair and I moved here in November 2003. We paid $305,000 for our ORA, and when I leave my family will receive $207,300, being less 30% for my share of refurbishment. (Alastair passed away in 2019.)

In June this year I had a severe fall in my kitchen, fracturing my left hip. It had replacements in 1993 and 2008. After 11 days in hospital, and 4 weeks in convalescent care, I was able to come home.

ACC support services included showers, meals on wheels, taxis to the hospital for surgeon visits, ½ price visits to the physiotherapist. I have my own home-help cleaner who comes every 2 weeks for vacuuming and bathrooms etc.

My family said I should look at going into a fully serviced apartment. My son and family live in Rangiora and Ryman has a village there. The Sales Advisor sent me a letter and a beautiful book.

A 1-bedroom serviced apartment costs $420,000 and the single basic weekly fee is $369.00. I do not have the capital $212,700 capital needed to purchase a serviced apartment so I shall stay where I am. I can care for myself quite well now using a 3-wheel walking frame with a bag and basket, and a pair of crutches. A “hand-grabber” is very useful. I can drive my car and do my shopping and cooking.

Roger Goodman, BOP Chair for RVResidents says: “We don’t anticipate what the terms of the ORA or LTO agreements mean 20 years on. As things stand we give 70% of our assets to the Retirement Village as a non interest bearing loan for 10, 20 or 30 years to receive ZERO benefit from the capital gain we paid market price for. The changed legislation MUST be RETROSPECTIVE for our beneficiaries sake as well as our longevity.”

Refurbished homes in this village currently sell in the high $900,000 bracket. The house we sold in Ellerslie Auckland in 2003 for $440,000 is now worth $3.8m.

We do not regret coming here, but the current Act is very unfavourable to the residents.

Book Review: Memories - reflections on the past

By Trudy McKnight

After moving to a retirement village and meeting new friends over casual conversations, the author of ‘Memories - reflections on the past’ Trudy McKnight came to realise the folk residing there had a wealth of knowledge, life experiences and skills, but most of all personal stories to tell.

“When these people leave the village, their stories will leave with them. Stories of a bygone era, a time that is now part of our history.”

Hours were spent recording and writing, then typing to ensure everyone in the village had the opportunity to tell their story. The result is 21 stories where surprisingly many experiences were similar – children at school during the war years carrying their gas masks and, in some instances, cotton wool to put in their ears, and a wooden peg to put between their teeth, running and jumping into drains – practice for possible bombing raids. Stories from those who as young children were in Britain, London, during bombing raids. School teachers using corporal punishment, straps on hands and legs, throwing chalk and dusters, punishment for speaking Te Reo Maori.

Twenty-one people told their stories, over two hundred pages, all residents of a Whangarei retirement village. Stories telling of life’s ups and downs, trials and tribulations. Stories of history - schools, teachers, war years, isolated farming families, coal mining, railways and beyond. Stories reflecting on the past – of times gone by.

‘When an old person dies a library burns to the ground’.