14 minute read
Retirement Living
When we decided to have a focus on retirement living in this issue we decided to combine this with a feature interview. An interview with Shore local Marilyn Glover who has served her community for most of her life, was awarded with a QSM in 2019 for her service to the community and education, and just happens to be enjoying life in one of the Shore’s many retirement villages. For Channel Mag publisher Aidan Bennett interviewing Marilyn Glover also has a personal touch. He and wife Michelle now enjoy the central Takapuna home that Marilyn and her late husband Lew developed to a very high standard 25 years ago.
Always doing things for others
Talking retirement and service with North Shore community champion Marilyn Glover
By Aidan Bennett
As the intro to this featured suggests, there is a personal connection between myself and Marilyn Glover QSM. Every time I think about how much I love living in our Takapuna home, I think of Marilyn. Marilyn and Lew did a major renovation of the home in the '90s, and did it to such a high standard that it remains very modern and sturdy today. As I have discovered over the 12 years since we purchased the home, doing things well is what Marilyn Glover is all about. Most of her life her focus has been on doing these things for others. She is indeed a community champion.
“One day my husband Lew came home and said he wanted to buy and renovate a house on the corner of Gibbons Road in central Takapuna,” explained Marilyn when we discussed the house. “He added, ‘Don’t worry we can do a lot to it’ which raised alarm bells with me. It was nothing like the house today when we bought it. Thanks to an amazing architect and fantastic builder it was transformed into a lovely home. One recollection I have is Lew one day being in a line of cars and next to him was a van advertising pebble finishes for homes. Lew managed to flag him down and he followed him back to the house and told us what he could do. He subsequently made a wet mix of concrete, added pebbles and threw it at the house with a tool like a coal shovel!”
The day I went to visit Marilyn Glover at her third floor Northbridge Retirement Village apartment it was teeming down. That didn’t stop her greeting me at 10.15am; as she said she would at gate two, despite being in recovery from a knee replacement operation and getting around with the use of a walker. Marilyn moved into Northbridge around three years ago following the passing of her husband Lew. She says the move is one of the best things she has done and she doesn’t have one regret. “It’s a very friendly place to live and from my Marilyn Glover during her 77th birthday celebration lounge I can see Rangitoto,” said Marilyn as we organised by friends and family in 2021. entered the spacious two-bedroom apartment. Although on the day I visited you could hardly see over the other side of Akoranga Drive the weather was so bad – but I’ll take her word for it! “There is a wide range of activities I can join in here which keeps me busy.” In true Marilyn Glover fashion one of the activities that keeps her busy is one she started herself. A knitting group (of about 15 residents) who meet and initially knitted a wide range of resources for Wilson School and Wairau Valley Special School. More recently the group have been knitting beanies for the oncology ward at Auckland City Hospital. Marilyn is on the Residents Association Committee at Northbridge and is also a ‘shelver’ at the village library, a library she says is fantastic for residents.
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Marilyn Glover at home at Northbridge.
“We also have a wonderful café that has very good meals and is a great meeting place for company. It is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
Marilyn Glover was born in Hamilton, the family moved north when she was two, and she has lived in Takapuna for 67 of her 78 years. She was the middle child of three and has a sister with an intellectual disability.
Marilyn’s mother was very involved in IHC, was on the Hauraki School committee and the first woman to serve on the Belmont Intermediate School committee. Marilyn was a foundation pupil of both schools.
“I moved to Te Aroha when I married Lew, and then we came back to Takapuna in 1977,” explained Marilyn. "Lew and I have two sons – Aaron who has just turned 50, and Miles who is two years younger. I have two awesome daughters-in-law and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
It was clearly the example set by Marilyn’s mother that set her on a path of community service and service to the special needs education sector. Marilyn received her Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) for services to the community and education in 2019. The explanation for her receiving the award said: ‘Marilyn Glover has held a number of leadership roles within the Takapuna Rotary Club, including President and Secretary. She has served on the Boards and Committees of Takapuna Kindergarten, Hauraki Primary School, Belmont Intermediate School, and Takapuna Grammar. As Chairperson of the Wilson School Board of Trustees, she led the fundraising and construction of the new playground for Wilson School, which specialises in educating young people with physical disabilities. She has also volunteered with Adults in Motion, Age Concern, and Auckland North Community and Development. Mrs Glover is Treasurer of the Friends of Takapuna Library.'
Marilyn Glover is also a Life Member of North Shore Community and Social Services, which was the forerunner to Auckland North Community and Development (ANCAD).
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Marilyn explained her community focus to me. “I grew up believing that the things I enjoyed in the community had been made possible by people before me – therefore it was my responsibility to work for the community to provide things that my children and future generations could enjoy. My parents were great role models, particularly my mother. She encouraged me to always do things for other people and I loved it. I love giving people my time.”
Marilyn says she became involved with a number of organisations because of what their focus was – disability, education, reading and generally supporting people that she could relate to. She joined the Plunket committee in Te Aroha even before she had kids of her own!
Wilson School has played a big part in her life of community service, as was detailed when she received the QSM. Marilyn was the chair of the school for 17 years, and despite retiring from that role some years ago still takes an interest. The involvement with the school came via her position as the Co-ordinator of the Auckland School Trustees Association. Marilyn has been a a Rotarian for 26 years, has been secretary a few times and has also served as president. It was while she was president that Takapuna Rotary became involved in the funding of the school's new playground.
The Glovers have a disabled grandson which led Marilyn – along with her daughter-in-law, to get involved in the early establishment of Adults In Motion (AIM) in Warkworth. Marilyn was on the committee for many years. AIM provides an individualised day programme for young adults with intellectual and physical disabilities from the age of 16 years upward.
So with almost 70 years living on the Shore, what does Marilyn Glover love about it?
“Its casualness – being so close to everything but having the freedom to move about relatively easily.
And what can we do better on the Shore?
“Ensure it is easily accessible, especially for those with a disability. Our population is also ageing; we all need to be mindful of that when planning buildings, carrying out roadworks, kerb cuts and where designated parking for people with disabilities is placed.”
What is Marilyn’s advice for those thinking about choosing a retirement village lifestyle?
“Think about it well before you decide to choose one. Put your name down sooner rather than later. If you leave it too late it may well transpire you cannot get a place in the village where you want to live. I also suggest you choose one that has ongoing care.”
Marilyn Glover is certainly one special person the Shore community can be thankful for. She says she is definitely slowing down, but as I was leaving she told me she had recently agreed to be on the board of Project Employ (a wonderful organisation training young people with disabilities for work) that has just opened their first training café (Flourish) in Takapuna! She says she is as busy as she can be but is mindful of letting go and therefore allowing younger people in the community to step up. But if she feels she can still make a valuable contribution then she will, as she believes that life experience counts for a lot.
Marilyn Glover, enjoying her retirement village lifestyle.
Nick Kearney (LLB, LLM, Dip Pol) leads the Property Law team at Davenports Law. Nick specialises in residential and commercial property, general commercial work and contributory mortgage investments. He works across a broad range of clients, including real estate agents. Nick’s focus is on getting the deal done for his clients, and ensuring complex legal matters are explained in simple terms.
Retirement Village Living
Nick Kearney.
New Zealand’s ageing population has led to a proliferation of retirement villages, and the trend is only upwards. They’re a very convenient way of life for retired people with a vast range of amenities usually available.
But there are pitfalls on the legal and economic side of the ledger. Consequently, prospective owners need to consider their financial and other needs before signing up for a retirement village.
The most important issue is ownership.
Most villages do not allow ownership of the property. This means there are restrictions around the sale and renting of it, which is usually prohibited, and any capital gain on the re-sale is captured by the village. Instead, villages operate a “licence to occupy” arrangement, which gives the resident the right to live in a unit for their lifetime, and indeed for the lifetime of the survivor (if the owners are a couple) upon payment of a monthly or weekly fee, which is generally quite affordable. This fee is usually fixed for the term of the agreement, or in some cases increases are linked to inflation increases. Some agreements permit villages to increase the fee upon adequate notice. If you are unable to pay these fees, some villages will let the fees accumulate until the unit is sold.
In addition to the monthly fee, residents are also responsible for payment of telephone, power, internet and other such utilities.
Prospective owners will sign an application and then pay a nominal deposit. There is a 15 working-day cooling off period in the legislation, which allows for owners to safely sign the full agreement, yet decide it’s not for them with the ability to cancel it within that 15 working days and obtain a refund of any money paid.
There are statutory obligations on village operators to provide prospective owners with a disclosure statement setting out the rights and obligations of owners. This disclosure document also describes the financial matters, and provides details of village rules, policies and the like.
Lawyers have a legal duty to explain the detail of the agreement to owners, and they are further required to sign a certificate to confirm that they have explained the nature and effect of the documents to the owner, and more importantly, that the owner understands them. One of the pivotal aspects of any occupation right agreement is the application of a ‘deferred management fee’ payable upon the resident exiting the village.
Village operators don’t make their money from the monthly fees paid by residents: These cover the day-to-day costs of operation, and little else. The management fee is usually 20%–30% of the original purchase price, and is applied on a pro rata basis of, say, 10% per year over the first two or three years, with a cap of the 20-30%. When the unit is sold, the village will pay to the owners, or their estate, the original purchase price, less the management fee, and less any fees and other costs of repair to, or reinstatement of, the unit (but not fair wear and tear). This means that when you leave the retirement village, you will almost always receive a financial payment that is significantly less than the price that was paid at entry. This is usually well explained by village operators to prospective owners at the outset, but is worth repeating.
As explained, on termination the deferred management fee and any other costs are deducted from the repayment sum. But the monthly fees can continue until a new owner moves in. This often causes concern from surviving family members, and most agreements limit this period to six months.
In the event of a transfer from one unit to another in the same village, the village can charge a transfer fee.
Retirement villages are increasingly popular, if not a little controversial. They can be a comfortable retirement living option for many people. However, it is generally beneficial for families to be aware of the decision by their parents and/or grandparents to commit to this living option, due to both the legal and economic ramifications.
For advice around buying into a retirement village, contact the Davenports Law Property Team.
Nick Kearney, Special Counsel, Davenports Law
09 883 3282 DAVENPORTSLAW.CO.NZ
Northbridge Retirement Village
Making retirement easy, affordable, and very comfortable
Northbridge is an iconic North Shore village that was established in 1976. Set on 16 acres of park-like gardens opposite AUT on Akoranga Drive, it is owned and administered by a not-for-profit charitable trust offering a real point of difference for residents.
The trust operates under a clear set of founding principles and guidelines. A big plus for the Northbridge community is that the money stays with the trust for the benefit of the trust. The third stage of the Northbridge’s apartment redevelopment has just been completed, comprising 48 spacious two- and three-bedroom apartments with basement car parking. The Kowhai Pavilion near the new apartments is a wonderful space for activities in the village as well as special functions for friends and family. The new state-of-the-art buildings have many leading environmental features, including rain water collection for use in the village’s grey water system and an extensive solar panel network contributing power to the buildings.
Northbridge has a range of modern one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments which are for independent residents who are able to look after themselves, all fully refurbished and modernised internally and available for purchase. There is also a care facility comprising Rest Home, Memory Care Centre, and Continuing Care Hospital.
Northbridge offers an extensive range of recreational facilities and activities which provide an important social hub available to be used by residents for a wide choice of organised and casual activities.
The onsite Café 45 is open 8.30am to 3pm, then from 5.45pm for dinner seven days a week. There is plenty of space to socialise; a resident's lounge, private function rooms, library, snooker room, movie theatre and arts room, and a bowling and croquet green with its own recreation pavilion. To keep fit there is a gym and a swimming pool with spa, Shanan Halbert MP, Elena Olsen Northbridge Sales Consultant, Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall and Geet Sharma, Northbridge General Manager. and there is plenty of space in the gardens for residents to have their own allotment gardens. Northbridge also has a hair salon, GP clinic, podiatrist and physiotherapist. Regular activities at Northbridge include a games night, housie, table tennis, yoga, Tai Chi, aqua exercise, painting, card making, line dancing, singing, and card games including bridge, 500 and poker. In August, Northbridge welcomed Hon. Dr Ayesha Verrall Minister for Covid-19 Response and Seniors, and Shanan Halbert, MP for Northcote. They addressed a gathering of Northbridge residents followed by a Q&A session, then viewed the recently completed new apartment building. To learn more about Northbridge, visit the website www.northbridge.co.nz where there are videos of apartments and full details of what they have to offer, including details of apartments available for purchase.
Northbridge Retirement Village, 45 Akoranga Drive, Northcote. Email: admin@northbridge.co.nz or telephone 09 488 3080
