The Road Ahead Starts in Japan
Tania Walters Publisher
apan is often described as the world's oldest society. For aged care providers, it may also be the clearest indicator of where the sector is heading.
Many of the pressures now emerging in New Zealand have been shaping Japan's aged care landscape for years. In both countries, older people are remaining in their homes longer, residents are entering care later with more complex needs, and workforce shortages continue
to challenge traditional operating models. As a result, providers are being forced to rethink how care is delivered, staffed and funded.
Building on this comparison, several articles in this edition examine these themes through a Japanese lens, while others look at how New Zealand providers are responding to similar pressures. Together, they raise important questions about workforce planning, development feasibility, resident expectations and the changing role of care.
Amid these changes, one of the most significant shifts is not necessarily the ageing of the population itself, but the changing journey into care. As people remain independent for longer, the point at which they enter retirement villages or care facilities continues to move. This has implications not only for operators, but also for developers, investors, policymakers and families planning for later life.
At the same time, the economics of the sector are becoming more
challenging. Rising construction costs, workforce pressures and changing care requirements are forcing operators to examine longheld assumptions about growth, occupancy and future investment, making adaptation increasingly necessary.
Taken together, what emerges is a sector in transition. Demand remains strong, but the assumptions that have guided aged care for decades are being tested by these converging forces.
While the future may not unfold exactly as it has in Japan, the experiences of one of the world's most mature ageing markets provide valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for countries like New Zealand.
THE BUSINESS OF RETIREMENT VILLAGES & AGED CARE
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10 Transport Designed Around Resident Wellbeing
Mobility is more than just transport. It’s about ensuring the wellbeing, dignity and safety of residents, while making it easier and more meaningful to be part of community life.
12 When Mobility Becomes a Village Management Issue
A walker left in the wrong place, a scooter charging too close to an exit, or a resident relying on informal staff assistance to transfer is no longer a small operational inconvenience.
16 The Hidden Infrastructure Cost of Powered Mobility
A mobility scooter parked outside an apartment door may look like a resident convenience. For retirement village operators, it can quickly become a question of fire safety, access, electrical capacity, insurance exposure and site design.
18 What Japan can Teach us About AI in Aged Care
When the headlines scream that robots are taking over, the reality inside aged care looks considerably more mundane.
20 When Dining Becomes Part of the Value
Proposition
Food has always been important in retirement living. What appears to be changing is the role it plays.
28 22 10 17 20
22 When Ageing Becomes Infrastructure, Not a Category
New Zealand’s retirement and aged care sector is edging toward a point where demand, staffing, and care needs tighten at the same time.
26 How Tech is Bridging the Staffing Gap
Few retirement village operators would argue that staffing has become easier. Recruitment remains challenging, residents are often arriving with more complex needs, and compliance requirements continue to grow.
28 Creating for Community
Heritage Lifecare Chief Operating Officer, Jodie Schorn, said creating homes and villages that people want to live in, and teams that people want to join, is something the company is passionate about.
30 If Aged Care Fails, the Health System Fails
The Aged Care Association believed Budget 2026 missed a critical opportunity to stabilise aged residential care, warning that continued closures and mothballing of beds will place even greater pressure on hospitals, families and communities.
32 Finding Her Path
A Papakura woman who once struggled in the classroom is now making a difference in her community, turning her experience with dyslexia into a strength that shapes the way she cares for others.
34 Mending Social Isolation
A new model of social connection has emerged in one North Auckland retirement village, including visits regularly from nearby four and fiveyear-old children.
36 Disrupting the Industry
Hannah McQueen is a proven industry-disruptor who has already built a successful alternative to an entrenched system.
38 Honouring Ryman's Roots
‘A beautiful village that epitomises everything which is great about Ryman’ was how the family of Kevin Hickman described the new Ryman village named after him at the official Grand Opening.
Daily Menu
33 Making a Difference to Residents'
When residents at Murray Halberg Village sit down for a meal, they’re enjoying food prepared by a chef whose 30-year career has seen him serving the rich and famous and travelling around the world, but who now finds the greatest reward much closer to home.
Calls for Workforce Immigration Changes
The ACA has called for an urgent national workforce plan following changes to New Zealand's immigration policy and AEWV.
The Aged Care Association said the Government’s latest immigration changes highlight a much bigger issue facing New Zealand: the absence of a transparent longterm workforce plan for aged residential care.
Importance of Creativity and Hobbies
New global research reveals millions are missing out on the physical and mental health benefits of engaging in creative activities, with almost half (47 percent) not spending any time on creative hobbies.
Research, commissioned by Bupa, polling 4,000 adults across the UK, Spain and Australia, highlights the power of creativity on health and wellbeing. Almost three-quarters (71 percent) say they would benefit from more opportunities to be creative in daily life, with over half (58 percent) feeling relaxed and calm when participating in activities like art.
New Funding for More Beds
Aged Care Minister Sam Rae has announced new funding to allow more beds for seniors, specifically in regions of Perth and the Hunter.
The Albanese Labor Government is delivering more aged care beds where they are needed most, to ensure every older Australian can access the world-class aged care they deserve.
Earlier this year, the Government announced an additional investment of AUD 115 million through the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP) to rapidly increase access to residential aged care in select hotspots.
Push for More Medical Alarms for Kiwis
Seven out of 10 New Zealanders said they want to remain in their current homes for the rest of their lives, and would only move if their health declined severely or a partner died. These people represent a significant proportion of New Zealand’s population. By 2028, more than one million Kiwis will be aged 65 or over, raising important questions about how we support them to live safely and confidently in the homes they are keen to remain in. Those living alone are among the most vulnerable.
Stage 2 of RSL Kaleen Begins
Stage 2 of RSL LifeCare's development in Quentin Place in Kaleen is set to introduce more offerings for seniors in Canberra.
RSL LifeCare will begin construction in June on Stage 2 of St Quentin Place in Kaleen, adding 83 new homes for seniors in an estimated AUD 65 million project as Canberra faces rising demand for housing that supports ageing in place.
Transport Designed Around Resident Wellbeing
Mobility is more than just transport. It’s about ensuring the wellbeing, dignity and safety of residents, while making it easier and more meaningful to be part of community life.
Milner Mobility, a New Zealand family-owned business since 1982, specialises in bespoke and customised mobility vehicle solutions designed to meet these exact needs.
Working closely with aged care facilities and retirement villages, disability providers and individuals, Milner Mobility has created practical, compliant and highly tailored transport solutions that go far beyond standard options.
Taking a different approach, Milner Mobility finds the right product for every client. It understands that every village, care environment, and resident group has different requirements, be it a high turnover of transport users, multiple wheelchair passengers, or a need for safe assisted transfer systems.
Milner Mobility’s bespoke engineering capability means the team works inhouse across design, fabrication, CAD modelling, and 3D printing, allowing them to develop and refine custom modifications efficiently.
"Accessible transport is about giving people the confidence and opportunity to remain connected with their communities. Every organisation/provider has different needs, so our focus is on engineering practical, safe and customised solutions that genuinely improve the experience for both residents and carers," said Darren Milner, General Manager of Milner Mobility.
From adapting passenger vans to developing highly specialised vehicles for accessible tourism and multi-user wheelchair transport, Milner Mobility specifies every project to meet
the client’s needs, applying proven engineering solutions to the unique requirements of the aged care sector.
The company also supplies a range of supporting mobility equipment, including transfer aids, modular flooring systems, docking stations and specialist seating. By considering
the vehicle as a complete mobility environment rather than a series of separate modifications, Milner Mobility can ensure all components work together effectively.
As retirement villages continue to place greater emphasis on resident wellbeing, independence and
community participation, reliable transport is becoming an increasingly important part of the overall care offering. Through customised vehicle solutions, Milner Mobility helps providers create safer and more practical transport options for both residents and staff.
Tailored Vehicle Solutions for Aged Care Providers
When Mobility Becomes a Village Management Issue
A walker left in the wrong place, a resident needing informal help to transfer, or a wheelchair that no longer suits a person’s strength is not a small operational detail. For retirement village operators, mobility is becoming a larger test of risk management, staffing, care planning, site design and resident confidence.
The equipment may belong to the resident, but the consequence often lands with the operator.
That is the shift now sitting behind mobility in retirement living. Walkers, wheelchairs, scooters, powerchairs, adjustable beds and transfer aids are not simply products that help residents move. They shape how a village functions each day, how staff respond to changing needs, how common areas are used, and how families judge whether a village can continue to support ageing in place.
For operators, the commercial question is no longer whether mobility equipment is useful. It clearly is.
The harder question is whether the village has the systems around that equipment to keep residents safe, staff protected and buildings workable as mobility needs change.
Falls remain the clearest risk point. Professor Ngaire Kerse, Joyce Cook Chair in Ageing Well and director of the University of Auckland’s Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research, has described falls as a major issue for older New Zealanders. The university has also highlighted the scale of the challenge, noting that around 30 percent of people over 65 fall each year, with the rate much higher in aged residential care.
For village operators, that changes how mobility should be treated. A fall is not only a clinical incident. It can expose gaps in assessment, handover, supervision, staff training, equipment suitability, documentation and physical layout.
The Health Quality & Safety Commission’s frailty care guidance points to residents needing help to transfer, residents with impulsivity and people new to a facility as higher-risk groups. That is commercially relevant because these are also the residents most likely to need more staff time, clearer care planning and faster review when their mobility changes.
Mobility is not static. A resident who managed well with a walker six months ago may now be unsafe using the same aid. Someone recovering from surgery may move from shortterm support to permanent reliance without a clear review. A resident who appears independent outdoors may still need help transferring, reaching dining areas or moving through tighter internal spaces.
That is where mobility management needs to move from informal judgement to operating discipline.
The Health and Disability Commissioner has already shown how falls management can become a care quality issue when review, communication and policy alignment are weak. In one case, the Aged Care Commissioner found a provider had not given a caregiver the tools needed to provide adequate care, including issues around review frequency, awareness of a short-term care plan and compatible policies.
The operational message is clear. A policy has limited value if staff do not know when to apply it, when to escalate a concern, or who owns the next step.
Continued on pg. 14
This is also a staffing issue. Moving, transferring and supporting residents are routine tasks, but they carry injury risk when equipment is unsuitable, training is patchy or spaces are difficult to work in. Manual handling is not a back-office health and safety matter. It affects roster resilience, injury claims, sick leave, staff confidence and the ability to maintain service levels.
Operators need to know where mobility support is being absorbed unofficially. Are carers assisting with transfers outside current care plans? Are village staff helping residents with walkers or wheelchairs without clear training? Are reception, maintenance or activities teams being drawn into mobility-related support because families assume someone on site will help?
Those small acts of assistance may feel reasonable in the moment. Across a village, they become an unpriced labour cost and a liability question.
The second angle is resident confidence. Mobility is deeply personal. Residents do not want every change in ability to feel like a loss of control. Families do not want to be told too late that their parent’s needs have exceeded what the village can safely support. Operators need a process that respects independence while still identifying when mobility has become a safety, staffing or layout issue.
That requires better review points. A mobility review should not only happen after a fall. It should be triggered by changes in health, repeated near misses, staff concern, family feedback, hospital discharge, new equipment, changing medication, or noticeable withdrawal from village life.
The commercial value is in early visibility. A resident who stops attending dining, activities or social events because movement has become too difficult may not present as an immediate risk. But reduced participation can signal declining confidence, poorer wellbeing and a greater likelihood of future support needs.
Village design is part of the same equation. A site can meet basic access expectations and still be hard to move through. Turning circles, thresholds, pathway surfaces, dining room layouts, lift wait times, seating placement and the location
of amenities all influence whether residents can move independently or need staff help.
That has a direct operating cost. Every awkward doorway, congested common area or difficult route can increase staff intervention. Over time, those design shortcomings become labour demand.
Operators should treat mobility as an operating system rather than a collection of individual aids. That could mean a register of village-owned equipment, regular checks of brakes and wheels, clearer expectations around resident-owned aids, staff training on unsafe or poorly fitted equipment, and a process for escalating mobility concerns to clinical, facilities or management teams.
It also means making mobility part of capital planning. Refurbishments should not only consider visual appeal, apartment finishes or amenity upgrades. They should ask whether the site will still work as residents age, use more equipment, and require clearer pathways through shared spaces.
Families are watching this closely. When they inspect a village, they are not only looking at the apartment, the menu and the activity calendar. Increasingly, they are asking whether the village will still work when mobility declines. Can a walker move easily through the building? Is there room for a wheelchair in social spaces? Are staff trained to recognise changes in risk? Does the village have a clear process when independence becomes less certain?
Operators that answer those questions well protect more than safety. They protect occupancy confidence.
The next phase of mobility in retirement living will not be solved by buying better equipment alone. It will come from clearer responsibility, better review processes, trained staff, practical site planning and communication that gives residents confidence without leaving risk to accumulate quietly.
Villages that keep treating mobility as a resident-owned product issue may find the cost appears elsewhere: falls reviews, staff injury risk, family complaints, retrofit spend and greater demand on already stretched care teams.
The Hidden Infrastructure Cost of Powered Mobility
A mobility scooter parked outside an apartment door may look like a resident convenience. For retirement village operators, it can quickly become a question of fire safety, access, electrical capacity, insurance exposure and site design.
The issue is not whether powered mobility equipment has value. It clearly does.
Scooters and powered chairs help residents stay connected to village life, attend activities, reach dining areas, visit neighbours and move through larger sites with less reliance on staff or family.
The harder question is whether villages have the infrastructure and policy settings to support that equipment safely. This is where the mobility conversation is shifting. Operators have spent years thinking about ramps, handrails, accessible bathrooms and level entry. They now need to think more carefully about storage rooms, charging bays, power points, circulation routes, fire exits and resident behaviour.
A scooter needs somewhere to live. It also needs somewhere to charge. That sounds simple until
it is multiplied across a village.
One scooter in a wide garage is manageable. Ten scooters stored across corridors, entry points, apartment alcoves, covered walkways or common areas become a different operating issue. Add powered chairs, e-bikes, battery chargers, extension leads and older buildings with limited storage, and the problem moves from convenience to risk management.
Health New Zealand’s guidance is practical. Most mobility scooters are too large to come inside and need to be stored in a garage and near a power source. If stored outside, they need weather protection. It also advises that scooters may not be safe for some people with poor vision, memory loss, dementia, neurological conditions or other physical health conditions, and suggests independent assessment before purchase where needed.
For village operators, that advice
exposes a gap. Residents may purchase the equipment privately, but the village still has to manage where it is stored, how it is charged, whether it blocks access and whether it can be used safely in shared areas.
That is not a reason to discourage powered mobility. It is a reason to make the operating rules clearer.
Charging is the sharper issue because it brings facilities teams, insurers and emergency planning into the same conversation. Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s lithiumion battery advice is not written specifically for retirement villages, but the principle is directly relevant. Devices should be charged away from exits, not overcharged, kept away from heat and moisture, and repaired only by qualified professionals.
NZI’s Risk Consulting team goes further from a businessrisk perspective, recommending
designated charging areas for lithiumion powered scooters and e-bikes, with clear distance from flammable materials, good lighting, adequate ventilation, fire detection and unobstructed emergency exits.
That creates a practical challenge for operators. Many older villages were not designed around multiple powered mobility devices. Storage may be limited. Power points may be in the wrong place. Covered external areas may not be suitable for charging. Corridors may be too narrow to accommodate parked scooters safely. Apartment garages may be used for household storage rather than mobility equipment.
This is where a resident amenity becomes a capex question. Operators need to decide whether scooter parking and charging can continue to be handled informally, or whether it now requires planned infrastructure. In some villages, that may mean converting underused space into a managed charging area. In others, it may require new external storage, better lighting, weather protection, electrical review, access control, signage and clearer resident allocation rules.
The commercial argument is not only safety. It is predictability.
Without designated storage and charging, staff are left to negotiate each situation case by case. A resident parks where space is available. A family member runs an extension
lead. Maintenance is asked to find a temporary solution. A scooter blocks a path and becomes a complaint. A resident says there was never a rule. Another resident argues they should have equal access to the same limited space. That is poor operating discipline. Villages should be asking a different set of questions. How many powered mobility devices are currently on site? Where are they parked overnight? Where are they charged? Are any charging near exits, soft furnishings, stored goods or high-traffic areas? Are residents using manufacturerapproved chargers? Are extension leads being used? Is damaged equipment being reported? Is there a waiting list for secure storage? Is scooter parking included in new build or refurbishment planning?
These are not theoretical questions. They affect daily operations. There is also an electrical safety component. WorkSafe has previously published guidance for aged care and similar facilities on electrical equipment safety, noting the sector’s need for clarity where equipment is used by patrons and where different safety methods create cost implications. Operators do not need to become electrical experts, but they do need to know when to bring in qualified advice.
That matters because the wrong solution can create fresh risk. A power board, extension lead or crowded
storage space may solve one resident problem while creating a wider site issue.
Insurance is another reason this cannot be left to habit. If powered devices are being stored and charged across a village, operators should expect closer questions about risk controls. An insurer or broker may want to know whether charging areas are designated, whether exits are clear, whether there is suitable fire detection, whether residents have been given written guidance, and whether equipment damage or unsafe charging is escalated.
The resident communication piece is just as important. A scooter policy should not read like a restriction. It should explain that safe storage and charging protect the resident, neighbours, staff, buildings and emergency access. It should set out where scooters can be stored, where they cannot be left, how charging should happen, what equipment is permitted, who to contact if a charger or battery appears damaged, and how storage spaces are allocated when demand exceeds supply.
The tone matters. Residents are not buying scooters to create risk. They are buying independence. Operators need to respect that while still protecting the site.
The better approach is to treat powered mobility as part of the village’s asset and safety planning. That means involving facilities, clinical staff, health and safety leads, maintenance teams, resident committees, insurers, electrical contractors and mobility suppliers before the problem becomes urgent.
It also means looking ahead. Future residents are likely to arrive with higher expectations around personal mobility, battery-powered transport and ageing in place. Villages that do not plan now may find themselves retrofitting storage and charging under greater cost, tighter space constraints and more resident frustration.
Scooter charging is not just a power point issue. It is a test of how well a village can adapt its infrastructure to the way residents are actually ageing. Villages that get it right will support independence without leaving risk to accumulate in corridors, garages and common areas.. Those that leave it informal may discover that a mobility aid bought by one resident can become an operating problem for the whole village.
What Japan can Teach us About AI in Aged Care
When the headlines scream that robots are taking over, the reality inside aged care looks considerably more mundane.
In Japan, where an ageing population and workforce shortages have been challenging providers for years, artificial intelligence is not primarily being used to replace caregivers. Instead, it is being used to help staff manage growing workloads, increasingly complex care needs and a rising number of older adults requiring support.
That may not generate the same attention as stories about humanoid robots, but it is where much of the practical work is taking place.
Workforce planning has become part of the discussion as well. With labour shortages affecting many providers, there is growing interest in whether AI can help identify staffing pressures, improve scheduling and provide better visibility across operations.
Japan is often viewed as a glimpse into the future for countries such as New Zealand. Its population is ageing faster, labour shortages are more severe, and providers have spent years looking for ways to maintain service standards while managing increasing demand.
The result was a steady search for tools that help staff work more effectively.
One area attracting attention is monitoring and early intervention. Japanese providers are using sensors and AI-assisted systems to track movement, sleep patterns and changes in behaviour. The objective is not to replace observation by caregivers. It is to provide additional information that may help identify concerns earlier.
Documentation is another area where providers see potential value. Like most aged care systems around the world, Japanese operators face growing reporting and compliance requirements. AI is increasingly being used to organise information, assist with record keeping and reduce some of the administrative workload that takes staff away from residents.
Workforce planning has become part of the discussion as well. With labour shortages affecting many providers, there is growing interest in whether AI can help identify staffing pressures,
improve scheduling and provide better visibility across operations.
Some operators have also experimented with companion technologies and robotic devices designed to encourage engagement and reduce loneliness. While these developments attract media attention, they remain a relatively small part of the broader picture.
The more significant lesson may be that most providers are not looking for technology to replace care. They are looking for technology to support it.
That distinction appears throughout much of the commentary emerging from Japan. The strongest opportunities often sit behind the scenes, helping staff manage information, identify potential concerns earlier and make better use of limited time.
Many of the same pressures are now emerging in New Zealand. Residents are entering care later, care needs are becoming more complex and workforce availability remains an ongoing challenge.
The Japanese experience does not provide all the answers. It does, however, offer a useful example of how operators are approaching the question. Not whether AI can replace people, but whether it can help existing teams manage growing demands more effectively.
When Dining Becomes
Part of the Value Proposition
Food has always been important in retirement living. What appears to be changing is the role it plays.
For many years, dining was largely viewed through the lens of nutrition, service delivery and operational efficiency. Meals needed to be nutritious, delivered on time and cater for a wide range of dietary requirements. Those fundamentals remain important, but overseas there is growing discussion about dining as part of the overall resident experience rather than simply a support service.
Part of that shift reflects changing resident expectations. Many Baby Boomers have spent decades dining out, travelling and enjoying a wide range of hospitality experiences. Those expectations do not necessarily disappear when they move into a retirement village.
That has led some operators internationally to invest more heavily in restaurant-style dining, café environments, open kitchens and greater menu flexibility. The discussion is not simply about improving food. It is about creating places where residents want to spend time.
Food sits at the centre of village life, and community often grows around it.
Walk through most retirement
villages and the café, restaurant or dining room is often one of the busiest parts of the village. Residents meet friends for coffee, families gather for lunch and visitors often form their first impressions there. In many villages, the dining room is one of the few places where residents naturally come together each day.
That does not automatically mean it becomes a social success. Anyone who has spent time in retirement living villages understands that people do not simply become friends because they share a dining room. Residents arrive with different backgrounds, interests, personalities and levels of independence.
Care needs can influence the dining experience as well. A dining room serving residents with a wide range of abilities and support requirements can present challenges, particularly when residents are seeking companionship as much as they are seeking a meal.
Experienced operators often recognise that the dining room serves more than one purpose. The meal matters, but so do the relationships that develop around it.
There is no simple formula. Every
village develops its own culture over time and experienced operators understand this better than most. Some communities naturally form around shared interests, activities or life experiences. Others take longer to find their rhythm.
Dining remains one of the more expensive services to provide. Labour costs, food costs and compliance requirements continue to rise. Expanding menus, increasing service levels or extending dining options may enhance the resident experience, but they also add cost and complexity.
That balance is becoming increasingly relevant as villages compete for residents. Operators are looking closely at every aspect of the resident experience, from accommodation and amenities through to wellbeing, social connection and lifestyle.
Food will not be the deciding factor for every resident considering a move, but it is becoming part of a much broader discussion around lifestyle, wellbeing and community. For operators, that places dining in a different position than it occupied even a decade ago.
When Ageing Becomes Infrastructure, Not a Category
New Zealand’s retirement and aged care sector is edging toward a point where demand, staffing, and care needs tighten at the same time. That is when the model gets exposed. Japan is already operating in that environment. Its population is older, its workforce is stretched, and people are entering care with more complex needs. That is why it is worth looking at, not to replicate it, but to understand what starts to give when pressure builds.
The numbers point to where that pressure sits. Almost three in ten people in Japan are aged 65 or older, but the more telling group is further up the curve. More than 16 percent of the population is aged 75+. That is where dementia becomes more common, care becomes more hands-on, and stays tend to be longer. It shifts the system from supporting independence to managing ongoing need.
That change is starting to show up in how developments are planned.
The large, self-contained retirement village is no longer carrying the full weight of demand. In its place, more developments are being positioned
within existing communities, closer to shops, clinics, and everyday services. Housing, healthcare, and support are grouped within the same area, so residents do not need to move as often when their needs change. Reducing those moves matters. Each transition between levels of care comes with cost, disruption, and operational pressure. Keeping residents within the same local system for longer stabilises occupancy and allows care to be delivered with greater consistency.
That is where ageing in place starts to show up in practical terms. Buildings are being designed to handle higher levels of care without requiring relocation. Room layouts, visibility, and staff movement are all shaped by the need to support residents whose needs are increasing, often gradually but consistently.
Continued on pg. 16
Technology supports that approach in a practical way. Monitoring systems, fall alerts, and scheduling tools help staff manage workloads and respond more quickly.
Equipment that assists with lifting reduces physical strain. The aim is not to remove people from the process, but to make limited teams more effective.
Continued from pg. 14
Dementia is a large part of that shift. Instead of long corridors and centralised facilities, there is a move toward smaller, more contained living groups. These are easier for residents to navigate and easier for staff to manage. Familiarity becomes part of how the environment works, which helps both care delivery and day-today operations.
Staffing sits behind most of these decisions. Japan, like many countries, lacks enough care workers, and in some areas, there are several roles for every applicant. That forces a different approach. Developments are planned around what can realistically be staffed, not what might look best on paper.
Technology supports that approach in a practical way. Monitoring systems, fall alerts, and scheduling tools help staff manage workloads and respond more quickly. Equipment that assists with lifting reduces physical strain. The aim is not to remove people from the process, but to make limited teams more effective.
Those decisions flow into how projects are costed. Spending more up front can reduce pressure later if it leads to a more efficient operation. The balance between capital and operating costs starts to shift when the workforce supply is uncertain. At the same time, people entering care bring different expectations. Privacy, food quality, and overall living standards matter more than they did for previous generations. Developments are adjusting by raising the baseline and incorporating elements that feel more residential, without losing focus on care.
That changes how operators compete. Care is still the core, but experience and day-to-day living
influence how long residents stay and how developments perform.
There is also a practical move to keep these developments connected to everyday life rather than separating them from it. In parts of Japan, childcare centres, libraries, and community spaces have already been built into or alongside aged care sites. The intention is straightforward. Regular interaction with the wider community supports wellbeing and helps reduce the isolation that often accelerates decline.
A small grocery store fits naturally into that same thinking.
Placed on the edge of a development and open to both residents and the surrounding community, it does more than provide convenience. It creates movement. Staff, families, and locals come and go, which keeps the environment active rather than closed off. For residents, that changes how the place feels. It becomes part of a neighbourhood rather than sitting apart from it.
This is not a new idea locally. Around fifteen years ago, there was a view that a smaller-format, community-based grocery store, like a neighbourhood supermarket, could sit well within or alongside retirement developments. The logic still holds. A tighter footprint, a focused range, and proximity to residents align with how older consumers shop.
There is a commercial angle as well. Residents tend to shop little and often. A well-ranged store focused on essentials, fresh items, and ready meals can meet that need while also picking up trade from nearby households. It does not need to be large to be effective. It needs to be relevant and well run.
From an operator’s perspective, it also makes better use of the
site. Space that might otherwise sit underutilised becomes active throughout the day. That activity supports the wider environment without adding complexity to care delivery.
Execution is where it either works or fails. If the range is wrong or pricing does not align with nearby supermarkets, it will struggle to attract external trade. If it is treated purely as a resident service, it risks becoming a cost centre. The discipline is in running it as a retail operation while keeping it accessible for residents.
There is another layer to what is happening in Japan that sits outside the developments themselves. In some regions, the population is shrinking as younger people move away. That leaves a higher concentration of older residents and fewer people to support them. In those areas, aged care developments become increasingly central to the local economy.
That creates a different operating environment. Demand may be strong, but the surrounding support network can weaken. Staffing becomes harder. Access to services can become less reliable. A development that looks viable at the outset can become more difficult to run over time if the local ecosystem cannot sustain it.
For New Zealand, the relevance is not in copying specific formats. It is in understanding the sequence.
Japan shows what happens when ageing moves from being a growth story to something that shapes how the system operates. The pressure builds through staffing, care complexity, and how developments are used. By the time it shows up clearly in performance, the underlying issues have already been working through the model for some time.
How Tech is Bridging the Staffing Gap
Few retirement village operators would argue that staffing has become easier. Recruitment remains challenging, residents are often arriving with more complex needs, and compliance requirements continue to grow.
At the same time, expectations around care, communication and reporting continue to rise. Most operators are trying to balance those competing pressures while maintaining the standards residents and families expect.
That balancing act is one reason technology is attracting greater attention. The discussion is not really about replacing people. If anything, it reflects how valuable staff time has become. Every hour spent on administration, reporting or compliance is an hour that cannot be spent elsewhere.
Documentation is one area where providers are looking for efficiencies. Care notes, incident reporting, assessments and compliance records are all essential, but they also consume significant time. As regulatory requirements increase, many operators are examining whether digital systems can simplify processes and reduce duplication. The same applies to information sharing. Retirement villages and care facilities generate large amounts of information every day. Making sure the right people have access to the right information at the right time can have a direct impact on both efficiency and care outcomes.
Monitoring technology is another
area generating interest. From movement sensors through to wellbeing monitoring systems, providers are increasingly looking at whether technology can help identify potential concerns earlier. The attraction is not necessarily the technology itself. It is the possibility of giving staff better visibility and more time to respond.
Workforce planning presents a similar challenge. Labour remains one of the largest operating costs for most providers and recruitment difficulties are unlikely to disappear any time soon. Systems that provide better visibility of staffing requirements or help managers allocate resources more effectively can offer practical benefits, particularly when recruitment remains difficult.
Technology is unlikely to solve workforce challenges on its own. Most operators would probably agree there is no single solution to that problem. What appears to be emerging is a more practical discussion about where technology removes pressure, where it improves visibility and where it simply adds another system to manage.
For a sector balancing workforce pressure, compliance requirements and growing resident needs, that may prove to be the more useful conversation.
Creating for Community
Heritage Lifecare Chief Operating Officer, Jodie Schorn, said creating homes and villages that people want to live in, and teams that people want to join, is something the company is passionate about.
Jodie Schorn Chief Operating Officer Heritage Lifecare
Across the sector, residents are entering aged care services later, with higher acuity and more complex clinical needs. Schorn said there is also increasing recognition that aged care is a valuable part of the wider health system.
“Residents still need to access the health services and support they have always relied on, even when those services are being coordinated from a care home setting,” she said.
Heritage Lifecare’s focus is on becoming a leader in high acuity, dementia, and end-of-life care, while aiming to deliver consistent, highquality care across its portfolio of homes and villages.
Its design and operations are increasingly centred on the reliability
and consistency of care delivery across every home; creating homely, quality environments and villages that support both residents and staff, which it has viewed as fundamental to creating places where people want to spend time; care homes that are active and central to their communities; and safety, trust and strong clinical oversight where it is needed.
“For us, the future of aged care is about balancing increasingly complex clinical needs with environments that still feel familiar, welcoming and homely.”
Schorn said Heritage was committed to supporting affordable access to aged care for New Zealanders, and it was well positioned to partner with healthcare services across the country through its nationwide footprint.
“In some communities, we are the only care home in town, or within a reasonable distance, and many of our care homes have been established in their communities for many years.”
Ageing in place is fundamental to the stability of the health system, and aged care has a key role to play in this. For many seniors, this starts with remaining safely in their own home for as long as possible.
Schorn said that Heritage has supported this through services such as day programmes and respite care, which provide connection, activity and support for older people, while
also giving family members and carers time to rest and recharge.
“We also contribute by offering a broad spectrum of aged care services, from independent living in villages through to care homes providing rest home, hospital-level, dementia and psychogeriatric care.”
Heritage has recently introduced additional hospital-level bed capacity into the South Island in response to demand for higher-acuity care and to support its desire to offer these services nationwide in places where they are most needed. This has brought Heritage’s total number of aged care beds to over 1,000 nationally.
Schorn said there are also opportunities for aged care to provide
greater support to the wider health system through services such as stepdown or transitional care.
She added that the goal is for residents to remain in familiar surroundings while their needs evolve, supported by consistent teams and trusted relationships. This has provided continuity, familiarity and trust for residents and families in their own communities.
Connection through community is central to wellbeing, trust, and resident experience. Schorn said this was particularly important as care needs become more complex.
“Our model emphasises whānaucentred care, and strong engagement with families as active partners in care,” she added.
“We look to create partnerships with community-based services, including opportunities such as day care programmes for the wider community, and we actively seek opportunities to participate in local initiatives.”
An example of this was at Cargill Lifecare, which has participated in Relay For Life Southland, and Granger House, which participated in the local Christmas parade. Schorn said these activities help keep Heritage’s homes connected to the communities around them, and support residents to remain part of local life.
Heritage has recognised that legacy is an important factor to many New Zealanders, and it has honoured this through preserving and restoring assets that have deep significance to
the local community.
Recently, it transformed a former residential building at its St Joseph’s Lifecare Complex, which was a legacy building of Suzanne Aubert and the Sisters of Compassion, into a new aged care home, whilst retaining the character, history and purpose that have defined the site for generations.
This sustained the direct linkage between its team and the community these buildings have served for nearly 100 years.
For Heritage, community connection is not an added extra. It is part of quality care. It helps ensure residents remain connected to their histories, relationships and communities, while also supporting trust between its homes and the people around them.
If Aged Care Fails, the Health System Fails
The Aged Care Association believed Budget 2026 missed a critical opportunity to stabilise aged residential care, warning that continued closures and mothballing of beds will place even greater pressure on hospitals, families and communities. Chief Executive Hon. Tracey Martin said governments of all colours continue to make the same mistake.
Tracey Martin Chief Executive Aged Care Association
They treat aged residential care as something separate from the health system when, in reality, aged care is health care.
New Zealand can build more hospital beds, employ more hospital staff and spend billions on hospital infrastructure, but if aged residential care continues to decline, hospitals will continue to struggle.
Aged residential care is an essential part of the health system, providing hospital-level care, dementia care, respite care, rehabilitation and endof-life care to thousands of New Zealanders every day.
When aged care works, hospitals work better. When aged care fails, the health system fails.
Across New Zealand, aged residential care facilities have been
and are being mothballed because the funding model no longer covers the true cost of care. These are beds that communities need, and providers want to operate, but the economics simply do not work.
Just a fortnight ago, one of New Zealand's leading charities announced the closure of another 40-bed facility. That closure was not driven by a lack of demand. It was driven by a lack of sustainable funding.
Every bed that disappears has a direct impact on older New Zealanders and their families.
When a local care facility closes, the burden does not fall on government departments or officials in Wellington. It falls on husbands and wives who have spent a lifetime together. It falls on sons and daughters trying to support ageing parents. It falls on families who suddenly find that the care their loved one needs is no longer available in their community.
In some cases, older couples are separated because there is no suitable bed available close to home. Families who once visited daily find themselves travelling hours to see a parent or partner.
These are not statistics. These are real people and real families paying the price for a system that has been allowed to drift for too long.
The Association Care Association welcomed the establishment of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Aged Care but said waiting for long-term
reform should not have prevented action in this year's Budget.
The Government has acknowledged that reform is needed. The problem is that while we wait for reform, facilities continue to close and capacity continues to disappear.
A targeted infrastructure grant fund focused on standard aged care beds could have helped stabilise capacity while broader reforms are developed.
Just one percent of the infrastructure funding already set aside by Government, targeted at the communities most at risk, could have helped preserve and grow desperately needed care capacity.
New Zealand must stop viewing aged care as separate from the rest of the health system.
Aged care is not the end of the health system. It is a critical part of it.
If we want fewer people waiting in emergency departments, fewer delayed hospital discharges and a health system that works better for everyone, then we must invest in aged residential care.
The reality is simple. If aged care fails, the health system fails.
Finding Her Path
A Papakura woman who once struggled in the classroom is now making a difference in her community, turning her experience with dyslexia into a strength that shapes the way she cares for others.
Tania Hadley Watson now works with Cross Country Rentals, an assisted transport provider for people with special needs, providing healthcare assistance and pastoral support across Papakura. It’s a role that relies not just on practical skills, but on empathy, something she has in abundance.
For Hadley Watson, getting to this point wasn’t always straightforward.
Living with dyslexia meant learning could be challenging and, at times, discouraging. But when she enrolled in a Health and Wellbeing Level 2 and 3 programme at Skills Institute, part of Skills Group, things began to shift.
From day one, tutors and support staff worked to make sure Hadley Watson had the support she needed to succeed.
Tutors took the time to understand how Hadley Watson learns best, adapting their approach so she could build confidence in her own way.
Rather than being held back by her dyslexia, she was supported to work with it, something she says made all the difference.
“It wasn’t just about getting a qualification,” she said.
“It was about someone believing in me and showing me I could do this.”
One of her tutors, Nikhil Peter, said Tania’s determination stood out early on.
“Tania never gave up, even when things were challenging,” Peter said.
“Once she realised she had the right support around her, her confidence really grew. You could see her start to believe in herself.”
That support extended beyond the classroom. Through ongoing pastoral care, learner support staff checked in regularly, helping her navigate challenges, stay motivated and keep moving forward.
“It’s about more than just study. Pastoral care means making sure learners feel supported as a whole person, and that’s when you start to see them really succeed.”
By the time she completed her training, Hadley Watson had not only gained new skills, but a stronger sense of self-belief and a clearer direction for her future.
With support to explore employment opportunities, she stepped into a role that aligned with what mattered most to her, helping others.
Today, Hadley Watson supports people in her community with both healthcare assistance and pastoral care, offering not just practical help but genuine connection. Her own experiences mean she understands the importance of patience, encouragement and simply being there for someone.
For Hadley Watson, dyslexia is no longer something that defines her
It’s about more than just study. Pastoral care means making sure learners feel supported as a whole person, and that’s when you start to see them really succeed.
limitations. Instead, it’s part of what drives her and what helps her connect with others facing their own challenges.
Her journey highlights the impact of the right support at the right time, and the role strong pastoral care can play in helping learners move forward with confidence.
Now, she’s giving back to her community every day with care shaped by both her skills and her story.
Making a Difference to Residents' Daily Menu
When residents at Murray Halberg Village sit down for a meal, they’re enjoying food prepared by a chef whose 30-year career has seen him serving the rich and famous and travelling around the world, but who now finds the greatest reward much closer to home.
Yul Fernandes joined Ryman in December 2024, making him one of the newer members of the village team. Originally from India, he began his career as an apprentice, completing a three-year course before heading overseas to work on American cruise liners.
Over the next decade, he travelled extensively and worked his way up to Executive Sous Chef.
Since moving to New Zealand in 2006, he has built a strong career across cafés, restaurants and catering companies, taking on roles as Head Chef, Sous Chef and Executive Chef.
Along the way, there have been some standout moments, leading the kitchen at Spark Arena and cooking
for big-name performers like Queen, Ed Sheeran and Katy Perry, as well as public figures such as Bill Gates, Sir John Key and Dame Jacinda Ardern.
He also catered for the Tongan rugby team during the 2011 Rugby World Cup and managed the serving of a three-course meal to 3,500 people at the Barfoot & Thompson 100th birthday at Ellerslie Racecourse.
But these days, it’s the quieter moments that mean the most.
“At first it was just a job to make ends meet,” he admited.
“But then I started learning more about it, the science of cooking… and it just turned into a career, and then a passion.”
That passion is what he brings to
the kitchen at Murray Halberg Village every day.
“My time at Ryman is very enjoyable,” he said.
“It’s nice to be able to make a meaningful impact through food, just preparing good, nutritious, comforting meals for the residents.”
For him, it’s the reaction that counts.
“It’s very rewarding to see how much joy a good meal can bring. You know you’re contributing to the residents’ quality of life,” he said.
“And I really value the sense of community here, getting to know the residents and staff on a more personal level.”
After a global career, he’s found his place, and purpose, right here.
Mending Social Isolation
A new model of social connection has emerged in one North Auckland retirement village, including visits regularly from nearby four and five-year-old children.
With growing awareness of loneliness and social isolation among older New Zealanders, retirement villages are increasingly looking at ways to support stronger social connection and community engagement.
The Retirement Village has introduced several initiatives aimed at supporting social connection, including visits every second Friday morning from four and five-year-olds at nearby Lollipops Educare Albany.
The visits began last November as part of the village’s wider focus on community connection and wellbeing. Programmes like these are increasingly backed by research.
Studies from Ageing Well, Age Concern New Zealand and the World Health Organisation suggest intergenerational activities, particularly those linking older adults with
young children, can reduce feelings of isolation and depression, while improving wellbeing, mood and sense of purpose.
The visits have quickly become a favourite among residents and staff alike. The atmosphere changes the moment the children arrive, with rooms soon filled with games, singing, chatter, and the lively energy young children naturally bring. Staff say residents visibly brighten during the visits, becoming more interactive, social and emotionally engaged both before and throughout the sessions.
Researchers have also found benefits for children, including increased empathy, confidence and stronger social understanding.
Cindy Naidoo, Centre Manager at Lollipops Albany, said the visits have become something the children eagerly anticipate.
“When the kids get back, they draw
pictures about their experiences to share with each other, family and teachers,” she said.
“They absolutely light up when it is time for the visit. They often talk about their friends at Rosedale and recall previous interactions.”
The Village’s Activities Coordinator Jolene said the programme has become one of the most rewarding parts of village life and something many residents now look forward to each fortnight.
“Some of the most touching moments come at the end of each visit, when the children rush over to say goodbye with hugs for the residents. You can see how much joy it brings to everyone involved,” she said.
Some of the most touching moments come at the end of each visit, when the children rush over to say goodbye with hugs for the residents. You can see how much joy it brings to everyone involved.
“When the residents are smiling and laughing, you know the visits are making a real difference.”
Alongside the kindergarten visits, the village regularly welcomes canine therapy groups, entertainers and community visitors as part of its focus on keeping residents socially connected and engaged with the wider community. Residents also take part in movie nights, bingo, karaoke, art, cooking and exercise sessions, as well as BBQs on the deck, creating regular opportunities for friendship and interaction. Regular outings include scenic drives, trips to malls and cafés, with visits to local thrift stores proving especially popular and giving residents the chance to stay
active and connected beyond the village itself.
Rosedale provides continuation of care as life changes. They have an on-site Residential Hospital Unit, providing hospital-level and specialist care for residents whose needs change over time. The arrangement allows residents to remain in the same environment and maintain established routines and social connections, rather than relocating elsewhere for higher levels of support. Leaving a familiar place where you feel comfortable and safe can be hard late in life.
Staff said the model is designed to provide continuity of care, with services adapted to individual needs shared by residents and their families.
Disrupting the Industry
Hannah McQueen is a proven industry-disruptor who has already built a successful alternative to an entrenched system.
McQueen CEO & Founder Brightly
Her journey began with a deeply personal goal: escaping mortgage debt. What followed was the creation of a nationwide financial coaching movement, Enable Me, that helped thousands of New Zealanders take control of their money, reduce stress, and change the trajectory of their lives.
In doing so, McQueen challenged long-held assumptions about debt, financial literacy, and who financial advice was really for. She didn’t just educate. She changed behaviour, culture, and outcomes. Today, she’s recognised as a media commentator, speaker, author and leading voice on personal finance.
That same entrepreneurial fire, strategic rigour and refusal to accept “this is just how it’s done” now sit at the heart of Brightly.
Brightly is an evidence-led, whole of person health service that brings together a multidisciplinary team of clinicians with coordinated, personalised health pathways designed specifically for older adults.
McQueen’s leadership resonates because it is grounded in real life.
She is a mum, a wife, and a daughter of ageing parents. She lives the tensions many families feel: balancing work, caregiving, health, finances and future planning. This relatability allows her to translate complex issues into clear, actionable conversations without fear-mongering or jargon.
She asks the tough questions others avoid, while remaining deeply human in her approach.
“Ageing is complex. Risks overlap and compound. A fall is rarely just about balance. Cognitive change is rarely just about memory. Declining independence is rarely just about age,” she said.
McQueen has instilled a systems mindset at Brightly. She has an ability to see how domains connect, where gaps exist, and how fragmented services can be redesigned into something coherent, preventative and human-centred. It is the same lens she applied to financial coaching, now scaled to the complexity of ageing well.
The ageing well crisis is accelerating. Demographics are shifting faster than systems can adapt. Waiting for incremental change is no longer an option.
“What is needed now is leadership that can make ageing and health information easier to understand and act on, help families plan earlier and not just react in a crisis, connect the dots between health, home, finances and independence, and give people the confidence, clarity and hope about growing older.”
McQueen has brought together entrepreneurial success, lived experience, strategic vision and authentic connection. She has already shown she can disrupt entrenched systems and deliver transformation at scale.
She said the ageing crisis needs a leader from outside the sector who can tackle the challenges from a first principles basis of what people want, can relate to and adopt in a sustainable way.
“Most people don’t want endless appointments or complex medical plans. Most want to slow decline, and want clarity: Our research shows people want to know what’s changing in my health, what does it mean, and what should I focus on right now? Brightly gives you that clarity, and the confidence that comes with it, together with ongoing guidance as your needs change over time”.
Hannah
Honouring Ryman's Roots
‘A beautiful village that epitomises everything which is great about Ryman’ was how the family of Kevin Hickman described the new Ryman village named after him at the official Grand Opening.
Residents packed out the stunning new village lounge, which overlooks the Riccarton Racecourse, alongside wife of the late Kevin, Joanna Hickman, his children, stepchildren, grandchildren and siblings, one of whom is also a resident, to celebrate the milestone event in the village journey.
Christchurch Mayor Philip Mauger also joined community leaders, healthcare partners, government representatives and Ryman executives for the occasion.
After a mihi whakatau by Te Taumata Tapu o Ngāi Tūāhuriri, Ryman Chief Operating Officer Marsha Cadman told the story of the village’s development to date, and the decision to name
it after Ryman’s co-founder Kevin Hickman ONZM.
The vision for the village was designed by Christchurch architects Warren & Mahoney and comprises of 155 independent living units, 65 serviced apartments and 80 care beds and also includes a café, gym, movie theatre, hair and beauty salon and swimming pool.
Cadman commended the construction team for navigating the various supply chain disruptions and delays brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst still embracing innovations such as the engineered timber used in parts of the build.
“A flagship Ryman village, in an amazing Christchurch location, named after the man who started it all, and
It has been wonderful to see that the legendary Ryman culture of warmth, caring, hospitality, and community, which Kevin instituted so many years ago is still alive and well.
who also had a penchant for horses! It couldn’t have been more fitting,” said Cadman.
Ryman Chief Executive Officer Naomi James described Kevin Hickman as a man who excelled in the many fields he ventured into. This included policing, sports, including rugby and athletics, horse breeding and racing and of course aged care and retirement living.
Hickman co-founded Ryman in 1984 after being saddened by living conditions he witnessed in a rest home where he had been asked to investigate a fire.
Realising he wanted to be able to offer a better quality of life to his mother, he was inspired to create something different that was, in his words, ‘good enough for Mum and Dad’.
“Kevin lifted standards across the entire aged care sector, and re-shaped what retirement living and care could look like,” James said.
“He leaves behind an extraordinary
legacy, over four decades, that has made a profound difference in so many people’s lives. And that is an incredible legacy.”
A video was played showing Hickman talking about his early days growing up on the West Coast as one of seven children raised in a close-knit and loving family and how he was inspired to found Ryman.
Former colleagues spoke of a supportive and enabling leader who used his talents as a sports coach to encourage people to achieve beyond their beliefs, all the more poignant given that Hickman passed away in August 2024, aged just 74.
Joanna Hickman said that her husband was a humble man who never liked to take the limelight and was deeply honoured that a Ryman village would be named after him.
She said the village, which she had visited many times over the past year, was beautiful.
“It epitomises everything which is great about Ryman. The homes are gorgeous, and this village centre and care centre are something else. It’s like a five-star hotel,” she said.
“It has been wonderful to see that the legendary Ryman culture of warmth, caring, hospitality, and community, which Kevin instituted so many years ago is still alive and well.”
She added that Hickman loved to see residents happy and loved to hear the many stories he heard from people whose lives had changed for the better after moving into a village.
“As a family, we would like to thank Ryman for honouring Kevin in this way, and for developing a community here which reflects his spirit and so much of who he was as a person,” she said.
“We are enormously proud of what he achieved, and it feels very fitting that some of his story will be remembered by others through the naming of this village."
