It’s got to be good enough for mum

Back in 1983, Kevin Hickman was a former policeman turned private detective.

He was asked to investigate a resthome fire in Christchurch, and Kevin did not like what he saw. “The fire was in an old villa and there were four people to a room all with shared toilets,’’ Kevin recalls. “To me it was crazy, the standards were so poor. But that’s how resthomes were in those days.’’ Kevin would never dream of putting his mother into a place like that if she needed to go into care. “I thought, what would I want for mum?” “I’d want a single room, with an attached ensuite. Not a shared ensuite, because that creates enormous problems.’’ Furthermore, care had to be better than anywhere else. And so, Ryman’s philosophy that care has to be “good enough for mum” was born. John Ryder was Kevin’s business partner. John was an accountant, and together they made a dynamic pair. Ryman – a combination of Ryder and Hickman – Healthcare was registered and they bought their first property to convert into a resthome in 1984. More than 30 years later, Ryman Healthcare has grown to become the largest retirement village operator in New Zealand, and a trusted operator in Victoria. The company offers a range of retirement living options, from independent living apartments and townhouses through to serviced apartments, as well as resthome, hospital and dementia-level care. Ryman villages include resortstyle facilities such as indoor swimming pools, movie theatres, cafés, bowling greens and hair and beauty salons. Our systems are constantly refined. This ensures we are providing the best care for residents who are looked after by well trained staff who share our values. The size of the villages and the facilities offered may have changed, but Ryman’s core philosophy remains the same. Care is at the heart of what we do. And it’s got to be good enough for mum. Or dad!

“I thought, what would I want for mum?”