What benefits are there in living in Paraparaumu or Paraparaumu Beach?

Paraparaumu enjoys a mild, pleasant climate which enables its residents to partake in the many outdoor activities and enjoy the facilities available. These include a wide range of clubs including golf and bowling, parks, beaches, walkways, Coastlands Shoppingtown, medical and specialist centres and much more. It is no coincidence that the Kapiti Coast is a popular retirement area.

With a frequent rail service it only takes an hour to travel to the very centre of the Wellington CBD or an hour north takes you to Palmerston North.

Who owns this village?

Sevenoaks and Midlands Gardens Retirement Village is operated by the Kapiti Retirement Trust, (formally the Kapiti District Trust) which is registered under the Charitable Trusts Act. It is a full member of the Retirement Villages Association of New Zealand and meets the Association’s Code of Practice.

Who runs the Trust?

The Kapiti Retirement Trust was first established in 1957 and has gradually expanded the accommodation it offers to meet changing demand. The Trust is governed by a Board comprising of very experienced and respected local business people who provide their services to the Trust on a voluntary basis. They employ a General Manager who is responsible for the running and staffing of the various operations of the Trust.

What happens to financial surpluses made in the Trust’s operations?

The Kapiti Retirement Trust is a Charitable Trust, so all benefits and profits are put back into Trust facilities and in supporting its charitable purpose, which is providing care and accommodation for the elderly in the Kapiti coast. The main charitable activity is the running of the Lodge which includes a dementia unit and continuing care.

What form of ownership do residents have at Sevenoaks and Midlands Garden?

Residents purchase a Licence to Occupy. This is the most common form of ownership in retirement villages in New Zealand. It gives the resident the right to occupy and to use the community facilities of the village for as long as personal circumstances allow them to reside in the village.

How efficiently is the Trust managed?

The Kapiti Retirement Trust has a very experienced governance Board and professional management team and a proven commitment to quality performance. The Trust Lodge is certified to provide dementia and continuing care.

Who looks after my interests once I have invested in the Trust?

All intending residents must get independent legal advice before any agreement with the Trust is legally binding. The Licence to Occupy Agreement must also be signed by the resident’s personal lawyer. An independent trustee looks after the overall interests of residents. The statutory supervisor for the Kapiti Retirement Trust is Trustees Executors Ltd, PO Box 4197, Auckland 1015

What agreement do residents have with the Trust?

Residents of the Trust sign an Occupation Right Agreement. This agreement spells out the obligations of the resident and of the Trust.

What on-going fees do you pay?

Those living in villas pay a weekly fee of $99.50. In the apartments there is a weekly charge ranging between $207.60 to $219.85 per person, per week, with a reduced rate if a couple occupy one apartment.

What does this fee cover?

In the villas, the fee covers local body rates, external villa maintenance and building insurance, village grounds maintenance, access to 24 hour on-call nursing advice, use of community facilities including the courtesy bus, and covers the maintenance of the communal facilities.

In the apartments, the fee also covers a daily midday main meal, power and heating. This means the resident just needs to meet the costs of other meals and personal expenses including telephone and contents insurance.

How often are the fees reviewed?

Fees are reviewed annually, with any changes taking effect in April each year.

Do the monthly fees stop when you are away on holiday or move into nursing care?

The fees do not stop while you are away on holiday, however if a resident moves into the hospital (Sevenoaks Lodge) permanently, the weekly fees cease.

How are the fees set?

The fees are set on the basis of recovering the costs of running the village for that year.

What other costs are you responsible for if you live in a villa?

You still pay your own contents insurance, power, gas, telephone and for internal maintenance and personal expenses.

How is the property valued?

When you terminate your Occupation Right Agreement, the villa is valued by an independent valuer at an ‘as is’ market value. This value is agreed by the parties before any upgrading work is undertaken. The Trust undertakes the upgrading work necessary and starts to market the villa.

What happens to any capital gain made on the sale of the property?

The capital gain will be reflected in the ‘as is’ market valuation of the property. This goes to the exiting resident.

Are there any fees or charges payable when you leave?

Yes you pay a modest administration fee, cleaning and a 15% capital deduction to the Trust on termination settlement.

What will you get paid when you leave and when will you be paid?

You will be paid the independently agreed to value of the property less the 15% capital deduction, cleaning costs and the administration fee when the Licence is sold to a new resident.

Who pays for refurbishments?

The incoming resident pays a purchase price that includes any refurbishment costs.

How close are the villages to the shops, medical centres and other attractions?

Sevenoaks and Midlands Gardens are both situated on or near Kapiti Road with medical facilities only a short distance away. Coastlands Shoppingtown is approximately 7 minutes drive from each and a courtesy bus runs twice weekly from the village and once a month to the Paraparaumu library. Paraparaumu Beach shops and the beach are within walking distance of the Sevenoaks Village. The Paraparaumu Beach links golf course is also located close by along Kapiti Road. There are several churches located close to the village. There are also bus stops directly outside Sevenoaks and on Kapiti Road near Midlands Gardens.

What are the main features of the villages?

To reach a competitive level of service, the Trust has set itself the goal of providing value for money; of adopting the highest design and construction standards in its villas and packaging it all in delightful park-like surroundings. Common gardens are scattered throughout the village, with no instance of intensive infill housing. The manicured lawns and gently contoured lakeside walkways at both sites are admired by all.

Are all the houses the same?

No. Both sites offer a wide variety of designs and styles of houses. As well as different designs there are various sizes. The villas at Sevenoaks vary from two bedroom with internal access to a garage; through to one bedroom without a garage. There are however some garages which do come available at a reasonable weekly rental.

The apartments at Sevenoaks are designed for those who still wish to live independently. They are built around two large, internal courtyards, one of which accommodates the indoor swimming pool. All apartments have a wet-floor, flat access bathroom with the one-bedroom apartments also having a generous sized double bedroom. The studio apartments combine bedroom and lounge with the kitchen facilities still providing for independent living.

The modern villas at Midlands Gardens offer a range of floor plans, all built of permanent materials and all offering as a minimum; two bedrooms, an internally accessed garage and a separate sunroom.

Is there a waiting list?

A waiting list implies there are x number of people in front of you. This can be the case but not always, depending on what type of accommodation is required. As such, the Trust operates a Register of Interest. Those who think they may want accommoda-tion within the village at some stage in the future can register their interest. It is time based, so when a property which matches what is desired becomes available, the person is contacted to come and view. There is no obligation to buy and no costs are involved at this stage. Some people have even been known to have a preference for a particular street and will wait until a property becomes available there. This is perfectly acceptable.

Who controls the sale of the villas?

The General Manager directly oversees all the marketing, sales and upgrade work for the Licence to Occupy sales process.

Can I bring friends or family to help me decide whether Midlands or Sevenoaks is going to suit me?

We encourage people considering one of our properties to seek advice from professional advisors and friends and family. It is your choice and we want you to be happy in your new home with us.

Do I have to live in Kapiti to qualify for residency?

No, the Trust welcomes enquiries from outside the Kapiti area.

How do I know if the Trust will suit me?

The best answer is, just check us out. Arrange to visit and come and look for yourself. We will give you as much information as we can and we encourage you to talk this over with your family, lawyer or financial advisor before making a decision.

If I buy into the Trust am I stuck there for the rest of my life?

Not at all. Circumstances can change and we can never be sure of what the future holds. For example family may transfer to another city and you may wish to live closer to them. An advantage of a resident living in Sevenoaks – Midlands Gardens Retirement Village over other operations is that you access the capital gain and the capital deduction rate is lower.

What if my health deteriorates?

Trust residents are not left "out on a limb". Once you are part of the ‘Trust family’ if you find you can't manage a villa we can look at higher level accommodation options. Our residents are given priority when it comes to allocating rooms in the Lodge, once an appropriate health assessment is completed.

Can I have visitors and family to stay?

Most certainly. Most of our properties at Sevenoaks and all at Midlands have two bedrooms to allow friends and family to come and visit. There are generous parking facilities at all sites.

Can I keep a pet?

It is fine in the villas and apartments to have a neutered cat or a caged bird, tropical fish etc. In the Lodge, volunteers frequently bring in pets to visit and there are two very spoilt, resident cats.

What security arrangements are in place?

The Trust employs a local security company who, as part of their night rounds visit Midlands Gardens and Sevenoaks, including Muriwai Court. In addition, there are security gates at the perimeter of Midlands Gardens. These are closed at night. Despite having two exits, Sevenoaks has been designed so there is no road connecting both accesses. This prevents the roads in the Village becoming race tracks for through traffic.

What support is available?

All villas at Midlands, Muriwai Court and the apartments have call bells which connect with the nurses’ station in the Lodge. Any resident requiring after hours support can press their call button which alerts staff. Staff will then contact the resident by phone and assess what type of support is required. Residents in the villas at Sevenoaks frequently have personal medical alarms to give them this level of support or can telephone the Lodge at any time.

The Care Co-ordination team can provide assistance in helping residents access other support when they need it. They make regular visits to residents to monitor their needs.