Retirement Village Residents Council.

• Business / Trading Name: Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council

• Company Number: Data Not Found (No registration on NZ Companies Office; operates as an unincorporated council funded by an industry association)

• NZBN: Data Not Found (Not listed on New Zealand Business Number registry)

• Entity Type: Independent advocacy council (non-membership organisation) for retirement village residents

• Business Classification: Data Not Found (Not registered as a company; functions as a non-profit advocacy group in the retirement housing sector)

• Industry Category: Retirement villages / elder housing and care (resident advocacy)

• Year Founded: 2023

• Addresses: No dedicated office. (Correspondence is via the Retirement Villages Association’s postal address: PO Box 25-022, Featherston Street, Wellington 6146)

• Website URL:

https://www.residentscouncil.org.nz

• LinkedIn URL: Data Not Found (No profile on LinkedIn for Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council)

• Company Hub NZ URL: Data Not Found (No profile on CompanyHub NZ; not a registered company )

• NZ Companies Office URL: Data Not Found (No entry on Companies Office registers)

• Social Media URLs: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564165697995 (Official page named “Retirement Villages Residents Council”). No active Twitter or Instagram accounts identified.

• Ultimate Holding Company: None (Independent entity; funded by industry association but no parent company )

• Key Shareholders: None (Not a company; no shareholding structure)

• Leadership: Deborah Hart – Independent Chair (appointed Sep 2023). Hart is a lawyer and experienced director who also chairs the Consumer Advocacy Council and led the Independent Electoral Review. Carol Shepherd – Council Spokesperson (appointed from among council members). Shepherd is a retirement village resident and residents’ committee chair, chosen as the sole media spokesperson.

• Staff: Jane Quinn – Administrator (handles day-to-day admin). Council members serve in volunteer governance roles rather than staff positions.

• Staff That Have Held Previous Government Roles: Several council figures have public-sector backgrounds. Deborah Bradley – Council member, former senior NZ Customs Officer. Richard Shallcrass – Council member, former diplomat and Treasury official (ex-New Zealand Ambassador; served in Treasury and on public commissions). John Mills – Council member, former Electoral Officer for Waipa District Council. Deborah Hart – Independent Chair, has held government-appointed roles (Chair of NZ Electoral Law Review and member of the Human Rights Review Tribunal).

• Past Employees: Data Not Found (No known former staff; the Council was only established in late 2023 and has had stable leadership since inception)

• Clients: None (It is not a commercial firm; it represents residents’ interests and has no paying clients)

• Industries/Sectors Represented: Represents retirement village residents (elderly housing/retirement living sector) on consumer rights and living conditions. The Council’s mandate is to advocate on behalf of people living in retirement villages across New Zealand.

• Publicly Disclosed Engagements:

• Submitted a comprehensive advocacy submission to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s Review of the Retirement Villages Act 2003 in late 2023, calling for stronger protections (e.g. faster capital repayment, standardised contracts, independent disputes resolution).

• Ongoing dialogue with the Minister for Seniors/Housing – in March 2025 the Council received a letter from Minister Tama Potaka and applauded his move to expedite reforms.

• Collaboration with sector stakeholders: Worked alongside the Retirement Villages Association (RVA) and the separate Retirement Village Residents Association (RVRANZ) in pursuing interim Code of Practice changes while legislative reform is pending.

• Affiliations:

• Retirement Village Residents Association of NZ (RVRANZ): The pre-existing residents’ association. The Council is not formally part of RVRANZ, but has met and communicates with RVRANZ to share resident concerns. The two bodies coexist as voices for residents.

• Retirement Commission: No formal affiliation, but the Council engages with the government’s Retirement Commissioner as a key stakeholder.

• Sponsorships / Collaborations:

• RVA Collaboration: The Council works with the RVA (its sponsor) on improving industry practices. For example, joint efforts were discussed to fast-track certain Code of Practice improvements in retirement villages without waiting for new laws.

• Resident Advocacy Coordination: The Council has indicated willingness to collaborate with RVRANZ on shared goals, to present a united front on issues where both groups agree. (Both organisations have advocated for broadly similar legislative changes, albeit with differing intensity.)

• Events (Organised by this Organisation): Data Not Found. The Council’s activities to date have centered on meetings, submissions, and media statements rather than public events. (No conferences or public forums organised solely by the Council have been recorded so far.)

• Political Donations: None disclosed. There is no record of the Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council making any donations to political candidates or parties (as expected for an advocacy body focused on non-partisan lobbying).

• Controversies:

• Independence Questioned: The Council’s independence has been scrutinised because it is created and funded by the RVA (the operators’ lobby). Critics note that council members were appointed, not elected by residents (the Chair was appointed by RVA, who then hand-picked members from operator nominations). This has led to perceptions that the Council might be an industry-driven initiative to “divide and conquer”resident voices, potentially undermining the more activist RVRANZ. The Council insists it operates without RVA influence, but skepticism remains in some quarters.

• Overlap with Existing Association: Some controversy arose over the need for a new body when RVRANZ already represents residents. RVA claims many residents felt RVRANZ didn’t fully represent them, hence the new Council. Detractors view this as possibly duplicative or a way to dilute a previously unified advocacy effort.

• Moderate Stance: The Council’s policy positions have sometimes been more moderate than those of RVRANZ. For example, RVRANZ advocated a 28-day capital repayment rule for exiting residents, whereas the Council suggested 9–12 months. Such differences have prompted debate about whether the Council is sufficiently assertive or too aligned with what operators find acceptable.

• Other Information of Note:

• The Council is not a membership-based organisation – individual retirement village residents do not join it or pay fees. Unlike RVRANZ (an incorporated society of members), the Council has a closed, appointed membership and seeks input via consultations rather than representing fee-paying members. It positions itself as a “fresh independent voice” supplementing existing representation.

• The Council’s creation in 2023 was a direct response to looming regulatory changes; it “hit the ground running” with high-profile leadership and experienced members to influence the ongoing law reform. Members bring notable professional backgrounds (law, public service, business), which the Council touts as enabling “educated” resident input to policy.

• Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: No (The organisation was formed after the period of the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy; no record of any such claims)

Sources

[1] A New Voice for Retirement Village Residents, AgedPlus Village Business (agedplus.co.nz), https://agedplus.co.nz/2023/11/13/a-new-voice-for-retirement-village-residents/

[2] About the Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council, ResidentsCouncil.org.nz (Official Website), https://www.residentscouncil.org.nz/about-us

[3] Terms of Reference – Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council (Excerpt), ResidentsCouncil.org.nz (via CDN PDF), https://irp.cdn-website.com/ab15aab7/files/uploaded/Terms_of_Reference-_05-6-24.pdf

[4] The Weekly Source – NZ Retirement Villages Association establishes an alternate residents’ voice, TheWeeklySource (Australia), https://www.theweeklysource.com.au/opinion/the-nz-retirement-villages-association-establishes-an-alternate-residents-voice-to-the-national-resident-association

[5] Retirement Villages Act Gains Momentum – Minister Applauded (Media Release), ResidentsCouncil.org.nz(via CDN PDF), https://irp.cdn-website.com/ab15aab7/files/uploaded/Media_Release-_9-3-25.pdf

[6] Residents of Retirement Villages Need Stronger Protection – Says New Advocate (Press Release), Scoop News (scoop.co.nz), https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2402/S00444/residents-of-retirement-villages-need-stronger-protection-says-new-advocate.htm

[7] HUD Briefing: Retirement Villages Act Review – Consultation Outcomes (Excerpt), Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), https://www.hud.govt.nz/documents/briefing-retirement-villages-act-2003-review-outcomes-of-public-consultation-and-next-steps-for-the-review

[8] Retirement Life Magazine (Issue 3, March 2024) – RVA Newsletter (Excerpts), Retirement Villages Association (RVA), https://corn-lily-dc4a.squarespace.com/s/RVA-NewsletterMar-2024.pdf

[9] Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council FAQ by RVResidents (June 2024), Retirement Village Residents Association NZ (rvr.org.nz), https://rvr.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/FAQ-RVA-Council.pdf

[10] Retirees want village operators ‘incentivised’ to make faster repayments, BusinessDesk(businessdesk.co.nz), Brent Melville, 26 Feb 2024, https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/property/retirees-want-village-operators-incentivised-to-make-faster-repayments

[11] Council Spokesperson and Chair meet Retirement Commissioner (News post), ResidentsCouncil.org.nz, 26 Mar 2024, https://www.residentscouncil.org.nz/council-member-meets-with-retirement-commissioner

[12] Official Website of the Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council – Home Page, ResidentsCouncil.org.nz, https://www.residentscouncil.org.nz/

[13] Contact Page – Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council, ResidentsCouncil.org.nz, https://www.residentscouncil.org.nz/contact-us

[14] Democracy Project – NZ Politics Daily 24 Dec 2024 (Excerpt), DemocracyProject.substack.com, https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/nz-politics-daily-24-december-2024 (reference to Carol Shepherd in The Post)

[15] LinkedIn – Deborah Hart LLB profile (snippet), LinkedIn.com, https://nz.linkedin.com/in/deborah-hart (Hart’s roles including RVRC Chair)

[16] LinkedIn – Company Page (ID 34695026) for RVRC, LinkedIn.com, https://www.linkedin.com/company/34695026 (Retirement Villages Residents’ Council LinkedIn)

[17] Facebook page – Retirement Villages Residents Council (snippet), Facebook.com, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564165697995 (posts by RVRC, Nov 2024)

[18] Democracy Project – Integrity Institute Draft (snippet on EMA), DemocracyProject.substack.com, https://democracyproject.substack.com (illustrative reference on CompanyHub listing)

[19] CompanyHub NZ – Company search portal (general), CompanyHub.nz, https://companyhub.nz (confirming no listing for unincorporated bodies)

[20] NZ Retirement Villages Association – “What have we achieved so far” (Jan 2025) [Media Release], retirementvillages.org.nz (RVA website), (Title as supplied by RVA), URL not publicly accessible (cited via search snippet indicating 15 months existence and mandate fulfillment)

[21] Property Council of Australia – LinkedIn post referencing RVRC submission, LinkedIn.com/Post via Aveo Group, 2024, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aveogroup_retirement-villages-doing-gods-work-and- (mentions “newly formed RVRC… submitted a well-rounded…” )

Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz