# Retirement Village Annual Investigation 2023 — Exit Experiences

**Commissioner/publisher:** Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission. **Research:** Ipsos. **Report date:** May 2023, on the cover. **Original library access:** June 2026. **Source review:** 9 October 2026. **Length:** 51 PDF pages.

Sources: [official original report](https://assets.retirement.govt.nz/public/Uploads/Monitoring-and-Reports/Retirement-Village-Annual-Investigation-2023.pdf), [Retirement Commission monitoring reports](https://retirement.govt.nz/retirement-villages/monitoring-and-reports/monitoring-reports). The original bundled PDF remains unchanged.

## Scope and method

The study explores what happens when a resident leaves or moves within a retirement village, including care transitions, changes of circumstances and death. Ipsos conducted **18 interviews from 28 March to 4 May 2023**: eight with residents and ten with whānau members who had supported a relative's exit or internal move. Interviews covered six regions and used Teams, telephone or face-to-face conversations.

Recruitment sought a range of positive, neutral and negative experiences. Although not-for-profit villages were in scope, no participants leaving those villages were included in the final sample. The report expressly says its findings are not necessarily representative of all residents and whānau and do not measure public opinion about the sector. Participant counts must not be converted into national satisfaction or complaint rates.

## Findings useful to a prospective resident or whānau

Participants often gave less attention to exit arrangements when entering a village than they later wished they had. Care needs, death and bereavement could make an exit emotionally difficult while families dealt with resale, delayed access to capital and ongoing fees. Residents' expectations of continuing support did not always align with how they understood the business model or agreement.

Better experiences were associated with clear explanations of the business model and exit process, useful written information, whānau involvement, a consistent contact person, regular communication and compassionate handling of bereavement. The report encourages advance discussion of likely care changes and exit scenarios rather than waiting for a crisis.

These themes can guide questions about an occupation agreement: who manages an exit, what fees continue, how repayment is triggered, how care transfers work, and how the village communicates with a nominated family contact. They are questions drawn from historical research, not new contractual guarantees.

## Evidence boundary and provenance

The study records participants' experiences and perceptions; it does not determine legal breaches or establish the prevalence of problems in all villages. Statements about expected duty of care should be read as participant expectations, not findings about the legal duties owed today. The publication month is May 2023; neither fieldwork dates nor the October 2026 source review replace it. The original June 2026 library access label is retained.

**Evidence locations:** PDF pages 3–6 (purpose, limits and methodology), 7–10 (overview), and 35–36 (conclusions and recommendations). Physical PDF page numbering includes the cover.