Ryman Healthcare buys Tropicana

Ryman Healthcare buys Tropicana

$120 million Auckland project will provide much-needed retirement housing and care

Ryman Healthcare has snapped up one of the Auckland’s largest remaining undeveloped blocks of residential land for a new retirement village.

New Zealand’s largest retirement village operator has bought the Tropicana Estate, an 8.9 ha block of land only 10km from the CBD with fantastic views across the Manukau Harbour.

Ryman Healthcare is planning to turn Tropicana into a resort-style retirement village which will provide much-needed retirement amenities for the nearby suburbs of Hillsborough, Lynfield and Blockhouse Bay.

“The Tropicana Estate is one of Auckland’s gems,’’ Ryman Healthcare managing director Simon Challies said.

“Not only has it got some great sea views and native bush, it’s also close to town and in a great neighbourhood.’’

Mr Challies said the new village would be the first integrated retirement village in the area. As well as independent retirement housing the village would offer a full range of aged care services including serviced apartments, resthome through to hospital and dementia care.

“There’s a real shortage of retirement housing in the local area – and the care options are very limited, for dementia care in particular.’’

“The Tropicana village will mean that people from the area will no longer have to look elsewhere for somewhere to live in their retirement – they can stay in the place they love close to their families and friends,’’ Mr Challies said.

The new development will free up a number of local homes for resale as people move into the village.

The Tropicana village will include independent apartments, serviced apartments and a care centre. The centre will include specialist dementia care as well as hospital-level care.

Other amenities will include a gym, a bowling green, a hairdressing salon, a chapel, a movie theatre, a bar and an indoor swimming pool.

The suburbs in the immediate vicinity are home to over 6,000 retirees.

Ryman Healthcare has just started working through the design and planning process. The company has no firm dates for when the resource consent will be lodged but would hope to have the village opened by mid to late 2016.

Ryman Healthcare builds, owns and operates retirement villages based on an integrated care model for those aged over 70.

As well as providing construction work the village will create long-term jobs for the area. There will be roles for registered nurses, caregivers, housekeepers, activities co-ordinators and gardeners.

Ryman is expanding to keep up with demand as the population ages. Statistics New Zealand estimates the number of New Zealanders aged 75 plus will almost triple to 731,000 over the next 30 years.

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