Jones Lang LaSalle NZ has just released a study that reveals 33,000 New Zealanders now live in retirement villages, up from 24,000 three years ago – a jump of 38%.

On top of this 75 of their 363 registered retirement villages have some level of development pipeline and 51 entirely new villages are planned.

It is for this reason that retirement village operators have bcome the darling of trhe NZ stock exchange with new listings like Arvida.

It is interesting to note that retirement village unit prices are growing in line with normal residential housing prices and yet most NZ operators do not offer a share of the capital gain – supporting the move by Aveo last week in Australia and joining our Not For Profit’s with this strategy.

It should be noted however that nearly all new retirement villages in New Zealand have co-located residential aged care, attracting a slightly older customer who has a greater focus on the end journey.

There has been no new residential aged care facilities built outside of retirement villages in the past six is in New Zealand.