More retirement villas and a care home with a secure dementia unit have been welcomed for senior residents of the Far North.

Metlifecare has been given the green light to start building a 64-bed care
home and 34 independent living villas on Cobham Rd in Kerikeri, an expansion of its nearby Oakridge Villas Retirement Village.

Earthworks have started at the site after resource consent approval by the Far North District Council.

Metlifecare development manager Alice Couchman said once complete, the new facilities would provide all residents in the village with a full continuum of care, including a secure dementia centre.

The new independent living units and an onsite care centre would give Oakridge Villas “a wonderful, modern choice of independent living, with the added peace of mind knowing that premium aged care is available, should they need it in the future”, Couchman said.

“This development is part of Metlifecare’s wider strategy to expand its aged care offering across the portfolio, as New Zealand, and Kerikeri in particular, faces a significant shortage of quality aged-care options.”

Oakridge is an existing Metlifecare village consisting of 103 two and three-bedroom villas and a centralised amenities pavilion.

The new buildings will be constructed on the site of the former Kerikeri RSA, which was forced to put the building on the market because of dwindling membership and rising costs.

The RSA closed its doors in 2019.

The new care facility, which will be about 4000sq m, is expected to create around 30 to 35 new full and part-time jobs.

Completion of the new villas is planned for the end of 2023, while the care home expects to welcome its first residents in late 2024.

It’s good news for the aged care sector, after a recent report highlighted government underfunding was making it more difficult for older New Zealanders without financial means to access services.

The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research report, commissioned by Aged Care Matters, revealed older people in several parts of New Zealand, including Northland, were more likely to struggle to access the level of care needed.

Northlanders were predicted to suffer greater inequities as the ageing population grew in the coming decades, likely to be exacerbated by New Zealand’s declining home ownership rates, the report said.

In August, Kerikeri Retirement Village board member Arjit Balasingham warned there were not enough care beds in the Mid and Far North to meet demand.

Kerikeri Retirement Village has a waiting list of 120 people for its 66-bed care facility.

Meanwhile, the Arvida retirement village will have room for 80 people needing care once the $170 million development is completed.

The new complex, on Hall Rd, will house about 340 people in 200 villas and townhouses.

Mid North Age Concern manager Juen Duxfield said there was a “huge shortage” of dementia beds in Kerikeri and the whole of the north in general.

She welcomed the extra care beds at Metlifecare’s new facility.

“The additional facilities for people with dementia is needed.

“We’re definitely in favour of that.”

Oakridge Villas Retirement Village manager Craig White said a number of residents have “expressed their delight with the proposed plans”.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the development come to life and welcoming more residents into our community.”

Couchman said the bespoke design of the villas and care home, and their construction, would reflect its commitment to sustainability.

The new villas will be built to the NZ Green Business Council’s Homestar 7 certification rating, and would contain a number of environmentally sustainable features such as provision for solar power generation, water-efficient fixtures and rainwater harvesting.

The new care home will target a six Green Star rating, the highest possible for a commercial building in New Zealand, she said.

“Reducing our environmental footprint through all our village developments is a fundamental part of our sustainability focus.”

Kaikohe RSA also closed its clubrooms in 2019 due to rising costs.

Sixty affordable homes will be built on part of the former Kaikohe RSA site at the top end of Broadway, on land owned by Māori health provider Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi.

Construction is expected to start this year with residents moving in by 2023.

Whangārei RSA sold its large block of land and buildings in Rust Ave to the Whangārei District Council for $5 million and moved to Hannah St.