Village on track to open next year
Taking shape in Hamilton’s northeast is the huge Summerset Rototuna retirement village, the second in Hamilton.
Set on a site of just under 6.5 hectares adjacent to Rototuna High School, Summerset Rototuna is one of 10 sites being developed by the company throughout New Zealand. Another eight are on the plans, plus one in Australia, said chief executive Julian Cook.
Summerset’s Dixon Rd village on the city’s southern boundary was completed about three years ago and another village is planned for Cambridge.
Cook said the business was ‘‘flat tack’’ and working to accommodate the numbers of people expected to hit retirement age in coming decades.
‘‘There are about 300,000 people in the over-75 age bracket at the moment. This is predicted to rise to about 850,000 over the next 30 years or about 15,000 -20,000 people a year, from around 7 per cent to about 14 per cent of the population.’’
Summerset is a New Zealand-based company listed on the Stock Exchange. It built its first village in Whanganui in 1997. Construction on its Rototuna site began in March 2017 with earthworks by Schick Civil Contractors. Many local
contractors worked on its villas and care facilities. It is expected to be completed next year.
The village has 244 homes and is made up of 164 villas, cottages and townhouses, 24 apartments and 56 serviced apartments;.
It will have a care centre with 43 rest-home and hospital beds, plus 20 beds earmarked for specialist dementia care. Once complete it should have a resident population of around 350.
‘‘Homes in the village range from $325,000 to $435,000 for which residents pay us as a ‘right to occupy’. They then pay a weekly fee of between $100 to $120, which covers maintenance, rates, insurance, any breakages and the cost of activities and programmes.
‘‘They also pay a ‘deferred fee’ of up to 25 per cent of the purchase price. This is calculated at a flat 5 per cent a year.’’
Facilities include a cafe, indoor pool, pool table, piano, exercise room, residents’ bar, residents’ workshop, bowling green, lounge area with largescreen TV, library with computer and internet access, barbecue facilities, hair and beauty salon, indoor spa, and movie theatre.
Among its features will be a specialist ‘‘memory care’’ centre, Cook explained. ‘‘The memory care centre provides residents living with dementia with their own one-bedroom apartment in a secure environment.
Cook said finding staff for the village’s care centre was a challenge.
‘‘There is a bit of a shortage of nurses but we try to position ourselves where we offer good pay and get good people.’’
Construction costs also continue to rise.
Former Waikato Hospital registered nurse Rachael Hall, who has 20 years’ management experience including 10 years in retirement villages, has been engaged as village manager.
‘‘What I’ve enjoyed so far has been meeting the staff and residents and making some great connections,’’ she said.
‘‘I think a great village manager is someone with leadership skills, but who is empathetic to the needs of residents, staff and the organisation.’’