A rally at Parliament organised by the Retirement Village Residents Association (RV Residents). Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
This story has been updated since it was published
About 100 retirement village residents descended on Parliament on Tuesday afternoon challenging politicians to remember them ahead of next year's election.
At the heart of the rally was the long-awaited review of the Retirement Villages Act 2003, which sets out obligations for village operators and the rights of residents.
The review conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development began under the previous government and attracted more than 11,000 submissions during consultation in 2023.
The review has since been delivered, with the associate housing minister promising decisions on legislative change by the end of the year.
An amendment bill is expected to be introduced by mid-2026.
The Retirement Village Residents Association (RVResidents) said residents currently get a raw deal, and any reform must mandate a buyback timeframe, as there was currently no deadline for an operator to repay a resident, or their family, once they had left the village.
But the Retirement Villages Association, which represents village operators, said repaying money - potentially before new funds came in - would make the model more expensive for residents and less sustainable, particularly for smaller operators.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Politicians meet seniors
The crowd of seniors was met by about dozen politicians from across the political spectrum on Parliament's steps on Tuesday.
Once the volume on the speakers had been sorted, NZ First leader Winston Peters addressed the crowd.
After initially chastising the RVResidents - saying it needed to be more organised and do more to represent and support its members - he told the villagers that the government was committed to delivering for them - pointing to the amendment bill slated for introduction by next July.
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka praised the group for its advocacy work and keeping the government abreast of retirees' concerns.
He later told RNZ that Cabinet's decisions on legislative change were expected by Christmas.
"By the time Santa comes, we will have decided on a few things," he said.
Labour spokesperson for seniors Ingrid Leary - who has put a Member's Bill in the Biscuit Tin mandating repayments within three months - said it was not about retirement villages being unfair to retirees.
"It's about market failures and market failures are government failures," she said.
Leary told the crowd they were from a politically literate community and that they were representing thousands of others.
"Many of you are swing votes, and nearly all of you vote, so remember this moment."
Labour spokesperson for Seniors Ingrid Leary speaks outside Parliament. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
It's not about the villages
RV President Brian Peat told RNZ despite the light telling-off, getting Winston Peters' support today was huge and he believed all the politicians who attended were listening to the association's demands.
"They absolutely understand."
He said the group was pushing for all retirement village operators to get a system in place, such as a reserve fund (similar to the rental bond that landlords lodge with Tenancy Services) to repay residents, or their estate, once they had left the village within three to four months.
Peat said reform was about fairness and consumer protection, not about whether residents were happy in their villages.
It was a chance for political parties to show they were "committed to fairness and dignity for older Kiwis", he said.
Many of those in the crowd who spoke to RNZ said they loved their village and community, but had concerns about timely access to their money, which was tied up in their village house.
RVResidents executive member Beverly Turnbull said the unit directly opposite to her in a Kāpiti retirement village had been empty for more than 12 months.
"The person from there went into care. So her family have had to borrow money to cover the cost of her care while they wait to get the funding out of her house.
"It's the unfairness, not specifically for me, but the unfairness I'm watching."
RV Residents president Brian Peat at the rally. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Village operators welcome reform, but not mandatory buyback
Retirement Villages Association executive director Michelle Palmer said the popularity of village living reflected the widespread support for how the model works and criticism of it was based on a misunderstanding of the sector.
"Villages are heavily regulated and legally transparent, and residents enter contracts with the benefit of mandatory and independent legal advice."
Village operators supported a review and believed any reforms should be evidence-based without undermining sustainability, she said.
However, she said a mandatory timeframe for buybacks would create financial hardship for operators, particularly smaller ones, as funds were committed to infrastructure, debt repayment and services.
Palmer said forcing villages to repay before new funds came in would make the model less sustainable, push up costs for residents, and risk the closure of smaller operators.
Instead, she said operators should not charge fees after a resident had left and should pay interest if repayment took too long.
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