Ryman Times NZ – SPRING 2022

RYMAN TIMES RY M A N H E A LT H CA R E N EW Z E A L A N D

Ryman Awards 2022 Northwood off to flying start Roslyn storms to success as village manager of the year Introducing… Bert Newton Village!

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A WORD FROM RICHARD We are now well and truly through the COVID-19 wave and very much looking forward to summer.

It feels like a weight has been lifted off us, as we progressively remove restrictions.

We are being cautious where we need to, retaining mask precautions in our care centres for example. But there is a new energy in the air as we get back to the full agenda of activities that define the Ryman way of living.

And our construction sites are busier than ever. We have 16 villages at various stages of construction, including 10 in New Zealand. This is a new record for Ryman and gives us an incredible springboard for growth.

I remain in awe of how our teams have coped over the past two and a half years, and I believe that our performance has enhanced our reputation and brand.

It is nice to see I’m not alone in that admiration.

Roslyn Prentice’s recognition as the best village manager in Australia is a fantastic individual achievement. And the Jane Mander kitchen team’s win in the Bidfood Excellence in Food awards reflects the massive amount of work the entire team has done in improving the food experience.

Being named the best operator in New Zealand by agedadvisor.co.nz capped a great run.

Our residents have a spring in their step as well, judging by the enrolments for the Walking for Wellness program and the engagement in the Yuri Bears ‘knitting for Ukraine’ initiative.

I hope you enjoy reading about our progress in this latest Ryman Times update.

Thanks for your support of Ryman.

Richard Umbers Group Chief Executive

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IN THIS ISSUE

4

Award winners unveiled

6

And our residents are off!

8 9 10 12 14 15 16 18 19

12

Northwood off to flying start Jane Mander scoops top honours in food awards Ryman scales new heights

15 16

Bears not bombs – knitting campaign takes off Ryman signs on to provide crucial support for Alzheimers NZ

10

Roslyn storms to success as village manager of the year Introducing…

Bert Newton Village!

Front cover: Village Manager Albie Calope taking the trophy for Village of the year.

Resident app is a gateway to new experiences

Ryman Healthcare Ltd

Sir James Wattie Scholar takes on the world

reviews win 20 Rave fourth award People’s Choice Awards

Airport Business Park 92 Russley Road, Christchurch PO Box 771, Christchurch 8042 0800 588 222 rymanhealthcare.co.nz The Ryman Times is a quarterly publication for shareholders.

For editorial enquiries please contact ruthea.vanheerden@rymanhealthcare.com

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RYMAN AWARDS

The winners of the Ryman Awards 2022 were unveiled with Malvina Major scooping the village of the year title and clinical leader Jeannie Sales taking the Kevin Hickman award.

Finalists and their supporters gathered in Christchurch and online via a live stream to await the announcements.

Announcing the winner of the village of the year, Ryman CEO NZ Cheyne Chalmers said Malvina Major was a deserving winner for managing to come through COVID with excellent results.

Malvina Major came top of the pops thanks to the hard work of the team lead by village manager Albie Calope. Albie said the award reflected the hard work and commitment of the whole team.

“If you want to achieve great things you have to work hard and surround yourself with the right people,’’ Albie said.

Jeannie Sales, clinical manager at Anthony Wilding in Christchurch, won the 2022 Kevin Hickman award. The award goes to the person who best demonstrates Kevin’s founding values of kindness, excellence, leadership and care.

Jeannie was praised by her colleagues for her professionalism and care, always going the extra mile for her residents.

AWARD WINNERS UNVEILED “I think we should all strive to keep the Kevin Hickman values alive,’’ Jeannie said.

Caregiver of the year award went to Nancy Wilson from Diana Isaac Village in Christchurch. Nancy was described as a gem, no matter how demanding work gets, or how many hours Nancy works her standard of care never changes.

Support team member of the year award went to Nicholas Parker, lead maintenance at Essie Summers. He was recognised for his work ethic, his unrelenting willingness to help and ability to work under pressure. He is known around the village as a superhero.

Young achiever of the year award went to Con Van Neikerk, resident services manager at William Sanders in Auckland, who was praised for making huge sacrifices to support villages on both sides of the Tasman.

The construction team member of the year award went to Brett Johnson, site manager at Deborah Cheetham in Ocean Grove. Brett answered the call and stepped up into the leadership role at Charles Brownlow site and kept the ship on course this year. In this role he showed both great leadership and willingness to achieve excellence.

Sales advisor of the year was David de Veth from Linda Jones in Hamilton. David’s charismatic personality, attention to detail, planning and preparation, secured him a permanent position at the top of the sales team performers.

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The nurse of the year award went to John Gela from Evelyn Page in Orewa. John started as a caregiver before becoming a Registered Nurse and is a great example of our “grow your own” philosophy.

The health safety and wellbeing award went to Katie Longden, HR team leader projects, health, safety and wellbeing in Christchurch.

Construction site of the year award went to Raelene Boyle in Melbourne. Known as the COVID-baby, the site kicked off in early 2020 and powered through the worst of the pandemic and all the restrictions to be officially completed last month.

Leader of the year award went to Charisse Spence, village manager at Deborah Cheetham in Ocean Grove. Charisse was praised as a real team player; she made the commitment to travel from her home to lead the Nellie Melba team through the Omicron outbreak earlier this year while still running her own village.

She empowers her team to take ownership of their roles and gives them the opportunity to excel at what they do best.

Pictured: Clockwise from top: Leader of the Year Charisse Spence with Richard Umbers, Kevin Hickman Award winner Jeannie Sales giving her speech, and Village Manager Albie Calope taking the trophy for Village of the year.

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AND OUR RESIDENTS ARE OFF! At the start of October, 1,200 Ryman residents across New Zealand and Australia set off together on an epic virtual journey to walk more than 72,000kms.

They’re taking part in Walking for Wellness, which is Ryman Healthcare’s Active Ageing event for 2022.

Each resident will walk 60kms in 30 days throughout October and will track their progress on the My Virtual Mission app and website.

They’ve been training for three months, and today the virtual mission begins. They will each walk 2kms a day wherever they choose and will log their steps on My Virtual Mission.

Some residents are using smartphones or smart watches to track their steps, while others are using pedometers supplied

by Ryman.

Ryman Healthcare has villages throughout New Zealand, and in Victoria, Australia, and the virtual walks reflect this.

New Zealand residents are virtually walking the beautiful 60km Abel Tasman Coastal Track, over 30 days in October, using

the ‘My Virtual Mission’ app, which will track their progress.

Australian residents aren’t missing out either – they are virtually walking along Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula for their mission, and the results of both missions will be combined to determine the winners in each category.

They set off on October 1 – International Day of Older People – a day to celebrate the contributions that older people make to society and raises awareness of issues affecting them.

of your body synchronise with each other. It’s very important at our age to keep moving,” says Bryan, a resident of Ryman’s Jean Sandel Retirement Village in New Plymouth.

Bryan already walks every day and decided to sign up for the Walking for Wellness challenge for a bit of extra motivation.

“Something like this could motivate people to get up and move,” he says.

Cheyne Chalmers says that the walkers have a lot of support from Ryman.

Many of the participants are measuring their health gains as part of the mission. Some basic health checks were undertaken before they started training, and once the virtual mission is completed, they will run the health checks again to monitor improvements.

“I know they’re all ready to take on the challenge to virtually walk 60kms in 30 days, and at Ryman we’ll be cheering them on every step of the way,” says Cheyne.

A virtual awards ceremony will be held on November 23 to celebrate the winners.

Pictured middle: It was a fabulous training day for our Wellingtonian residents on their walk in September.

Residents have embraced the challenge.

Pictured bottom: In Christchurch a chilly morning made for a brisk traning session.

“Keeping physically fit, it’s integrated with your mental health, your attitudes, all parts Ryman Times • 7

Pictured top: Murray Halberg village residents walk their way to wellness.

NORTHWOOD OFF TO FLYING START The $217 million village opposite the Northwood Supa Centa is well under way and will eventually be home to more than 350 residents.

Cheyne Chalmers told packed public meetings that the village included the latest in design for residents, including an indoor swimming pool and spa, library, bar, movie theatre, activities and crafts rooms, dining rooms, café and hair and beauty salons.

The village will include 60 resthome, hospital and dementia care beds, so residents moving in could be assured there was care available if their health needs changed over time.

For the environmentally conscious, the village is surrounded by 2.5ha of wetlands near the River Styx, which will be home to wildlife and 25,000 native plants. The village will also have charging points for electric vehicles.

Founded in Christchurch in 1984, Ryman’s philosophy of providing care that was ‘good enough for mum or dad’ had been unwavering, Cheyne said.

“Our model is all about care, it is at the core of what we do each day.

“That’s why we have built more care beds over the past 20 years than any other operator.’’

The first stages of the village are selling now. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased demand in Ryman’s retirement living model.

“We’re different in many ways but probably one thing that sets us apart is that we have our own design and construction teams – so our villages are built by us for our residents. ‘’We do everything else ourselves, right down to landscaping and interior design. And once the

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village is developed, we run it with our own team.’’

Bernadette Forsdyke, General Manager of Sales at Ryman New Zealand, said each Ryman village is named after a significant local identity.

Ryman’s other Canterbury villages are named Charles Upham, Ngaio Marsh, Diana Isaac, Anthony Wilding, Essie Summers, Kevin Hickman and Margaret Stoddart.

“We think it is a great way to give the village an identity rather than just a location and pay respect to pioneering locals.’’

The early stages are selling fast with first residents expected to move in next year.

Pictured: Cheyne Chalmers with General Manager Sales – New Zealand Bernadette Forsdyke.

JANE MANDER SCOOPS TOP HONOURS IN FOOD AWARDS Ryman Healthcare’s Jane Mander Retirement Village has taken out the Bidfood Excellence in Food Award for Care Homes and Hospitals for 2021 in a belated awards ceremony held in Christchurch last month.

The team at Jane Mander says they are committed to improving the lives of their residents through their food, and constantly exposing them to new dishes which they enjoy greatly.

Cheyne Chalmers accepted the award on behalf of the team at Jane Mander telling the congregation “Jane Mander rocks!”

“I’m incredibly proud of my team for all the hard work and dedication they have put into ensuring the menu is of a high standard for the residents,” says Lead Chef Rahul Parel.

The award recognises exceptional efforts by members of the New Zealand Aged Care Association (NZACA) to enhance the excellence of food service they deliver to residents.

“The team have put significant efforts into improving dishes, and I’m grateful to be able to bring the award home to Jane Mander.”

Resident feedback from the surveys indicated the lengths the Jane Mander team had gone to towards improving their food service.

Bidfood said consideration for the award was given to taste, what is served, the environment, setting, delivery and presentation.

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Resident Services Quality Manager Andrew Gibson wrote in his submission for the village, that the team there does everything they can to help make food service better for residents – by treating them like their own parents.

“The staff at Jane Mander uphold the Ryman value that everything has to be good enough for mum or dad and we believe that this ethos has been reflected in the great food survey results that we consistently obtain – and the clean plates we get back,” said Gibson.

Pictured from left: Amal Sunil, Rahul Parel, Nadia Heggland and Sandra Pihema.

RYMAN SCALES NEW HEIGHTS Ryman continues to ride the crest of a wave in its construction pipeline, with new villages enabling Kiwis and Victorians in Australia to make life plans.

Apartment blocks at Nellie Melba village are on track to hand over to new residents in November this year with the final stage of construction in the village to follow.

For one, construction in New Zealand has entered its busiest ever phase, with the number of new villages on the go now at 16 – yes that’s double-digits.

The newly named Bert Newton village in Highett is tracking nicely to welcome its first residents in 2023. The Ringwood East project is on track, with the early stages of excavations and foundations having begun.

Spending on construction and land purchases at Ryman now exceeds $800 million a year.

In Victoria, things are moving quickly as well and are on track across all construction sites.

New residents have been thrilled to move into both Raelene Boyle and Charles Brownlow villages.

Both villages saw successful completions of projects in August.

Charles Brownlow has its care centre and village centre open, and at Raelene Boyle the sales team have been very busy.

Deborah Cheetham and John Flynn villages have seen major progress this year and are aiming to complete construction in 2023.

In New Zealand the village pipeline continues to stretch, with new villages entering the phases from initial design through to construction.

“We’ve got 10 projects in construction as of today, with Cambridge getting an unofficial start now,” says Paul Blackler, Ryman NZ Construction Manager.

Villages like Linda Jones and William Sanders are entering the final stages of development, while other villages, including Keith Park, Murray Halberg and Kevin Hickman, are progressing well within their respective phases.

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The Ryman team is already looking forward to other projects coming up the pipeline in the next 18 months including Karaka (south of Auckland), Karori (Wellington) and Cambridge. Northwood (Christchurch) and Takapuna are two other sites where good progress is being made.

Constraints on building materials continue to impact construction in New Zealand. The shortage of GIB has stabilised, but supplies of bricks and structural steel remain an issue, Paul says.

Paul says another significant milestone is that in 2023 Ryman will hand over four village centre and care centre buildings, at James Wattie, Miriam Corban, Kevin Hickman and Keith Park villages, all within a relatively short time frame.

The remainder of 2022 and 2023 promise to be busier than ever as Ryman continues to scale new heights.

Pictured: Construction at the newly named Bert Newton village.

OUR DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE

Design

Consenting

Council Construction approval

Auckland

Village open

Final stages

Targeted village completion

William Sanders

2023

Miriam Corban

2024

Keith Park

2025

Murray Halberg

2026

Takapuna

2024

Kohimarama

TBC

Karaka

TBC

Rest of New Zealand Linda Jones

2023

James Wattie

2024

Kevin Hickman

2025

Northwood

2026

Park Terrace

TBC

Cambridge

TBC

Karori

TBC

Newtown

TBC

Rolleston

TBC

Taupō

TBC

Australia Charles Brownlow

2022

John Flynn

2022

Raelene Boyle

2022

Nellie Melba

2024

Deborah Cheetham

2024

Highett

2024

Ringwood East

2026

Mt Eliza

TBC

Mt Martha

TBC

Essendon

TBC

Mulgrave

TBC

Kealba

TBC

Coburg North

TBC

Targeted village completion is a calendar year date. It is based on current estimates and may vary from the final completion date.

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BEARS NOT BOMBS – KNITTING CAMPAIGN TAKES OFF A mammoth trans-Tasman bear making mission is underway for the children of Ukraine.

The Ryman Healthcare Yuri Bear project aims to make 20,000 knitted teddy bears for some of the 5 million children displaced since the country was invaded

by Russia.

Every resident at Ryman’s 45 villages and the company’s offices in Melbourne and Christchurch has been challenged to contribute a bear.

Victorian Sales and Community Relations Manager Debra Richardson said the project was a way Ryman residents, team members, and the wider community, could make a small difference to the lives of the youngest members of the war-torn country.

“Being so far away it can be difficult to know how we can help,” Debra said.

“Thousands of Ryman village residents are avid knitters, and this project empowers them to use a skill that they are experts at to send a symbol of love from afar.”

The project is a labour of love for Debra, whose former foster son Yuri remains in Ukraine.

Debra and her family fostered Yuri in Melbourne following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the 1980s.

“He has made the decision to stay and fight for his country and his family have been evacuated to safety,” Debra said.

“The project emerged from my discussions with Yuri about how we could provide support from Australia and New Zealand.

“When I first shared the idea with Yuri he said: ‘Ukraine is stronger with your help, empathy, and love.

A million thanks to the millions of people who care’.”

While Debra’s contact with Yuri has become sporadic as the war rages on and concern grows that his messages could be monitored, the Yuri Bear project is giving Debra a sense of connection to the man she cared for as a child.

“It is easy to feel totally helpless to what is going on, but small gestures like a handmade bear for a child who has lost almost everything can make a meaningful difference,” she said.

From now until September needles will be clicking across both countries, with speedy knitters already sparking a healthy dose of trans-Tasman competition.

The public is also being encouraged to get involved in the project, and public Yuri bear drop off points have been placed at all Ryman villages.

Pictured: Debra Richardson with some of the knitted bears.

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RYMAN SIGNS ON TO PROVIDE CRUCIAL SUPPORT FOR ALZHEIMERS NZ Ryman Healthcare has strengthened its commitment to Kiwis living with Alzheimers and dementia by signing on as Alzheimers NZ’s lead partner for another three years.

More than 70,000 New Zealanders live with Alzheimers and dementia, and this is set to grow to 170,000 by 2050.

partnerships are crucial support for this work.

As Alzheimers NZ’s Lead Partner for the last three years, Ryman Healthcare has been a champion in helping to raise awareness to help reduce the stigma of dementia and improve education.

Cheyne Chalmers says dementia numbers are growing fast, so Ryman is delighted to be able to extend its long-term support of Alzheimers NZ for another three years.

Catherine Hall, chief executive of Alzheimers NZ, says Ryman will provide crucial by extending the partnership for the years ahead.

Living with dementia is tough and services aren’t always able to meet the need, so there is a lot to be done to make sure everyone gets the help and support they need –

Cheyne says Ryman is pleased to be able to build on its long partnership with Alzheimers NZ. Catherine says the partnership will make a difference to people’s everyday lives – dementia affects nearly 80 percent of Kiwis in some way at some point in their lives.

“Dementia is a growing problem in Aotearoa, and we can’t tackle it alone,” she says.

“Alzheimers NZ has been doing a fantastic job representing people living with dementia for more than 30 years and we’re proud to support its advocacy work.

“We’ve been providing dementia care for more than 30 years and we will continue to play our part by continuing to raise awareness with Alzheimers NZ and building more of our award-winning care services for this important group of people.”

Alzheimers NZ’s understanding and expertise of the dementia/ mate wareware community.

“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Ryman Healthcare to do our bit to build a dementia friendly Aotearoa where people living with dementia/mate wareware get the help and support they need.

This includes being a platinum sponsor for the biennial Conference (which was successfully held online in 2021) and other events such as webinars and podcasts to raise awareness.

Its funding also supports the Dementia Learning Centre – an important tool for improving dementia education in Aotearoa.

Ryman Healthcare has extended their partnership for a further three years, which leverages the

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“Ryman Healthcare are a crucial support to the important work we do in improving education, awareness and understanding to help reduce the stigma for people living with dementia.”

Ryman is committed to being dementia friendly and was among the first aged residential care providers accredited under Alzheimers NZ’s Dementia Friendly Recognition Programme.

ROSLYN STORMS TO SUCCESS AS VILLAGE MANAGER OF THE YEAR Ryman Healthcare’s John Flynn Retirement Village manager Roslyn Prentice (pictured) has been recognised as Australia’s best.

Roslyn was named ‘Village Manager of the Year’ at the Leading Age Services Australia Excellence in Age Services Awards which were held on Aged Care Employee Day. The award recognises Roslyn’s total commitment to the wellbeing of residents and staff at the village, leadership during COVID-19, and creation of initiatives to improve the lives of older people.

Her award-winning initiatives included the creation of a ‘Resident Directory’ featuring comprehensive information on

everything from allied health professionals in the area to fun things to do.

The directory, which is given to all residents upon their move to the village, has received praise from people who moved from outside of Melbourne to John Flynn.

Roslyn was surrounded by residents and team members at the village when she found out she had won and was greeted by rapturous applause.

“I’m incredibly humbled to be named ‘Village Manager of the Year,” she said.

“This is an acknowledgement of not only myself, but the amazing people at John Flynn and at Ryman Healthcare who

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support me to lead such a fabulous community.

“Everyday it is an absolute privilege to work with such a dedicated team who provide outstanding care to our residents.”

Roslyn was one of three finalists in the Village Manager of the Year category.

Since she began working for Ryman in 2019 she has worked at three villages.

Ryman Australia CEO Cameron Holland said Roslyn was an extremely deserving recipient.

“We are extremely lucky to have a leader like Roslyn as part of the team.”

INTRODUCING… BERT NEWTON VILLAGE! The name of one of Australia’s most enduring and loved entertainers will take centre stage at Highett’s newest retirement community.

Ryman Healthcare announced its retirement village in the bayside suburb will be named in honour of Bert Newton (AM, MBE).

The Australian showbiz icon joins Weary Dunlop, Nellie Melba, John Flynn, Charles Brownlow, Deborah Cheetham and Raelene Boyle in having a Ryman village named in his honour.

A quadruple Gold Logie winner and Logie Hall of Fame inductee, Bert Newton was a true pioneer of television and radio.

He first captured the imaginations of Australians while working in radio broadcasting, primarily as an announcer, before becoming a star of television during its inception in 1956.

Later, he would host Australia’s night of nights, the Logies, 19 times.

More than 200 people attended the unveiling of the village’s name at the Sandringham Yacht Club in August.

Bert’s wife Patti was among them and said she was honoured her husband had been recognised in this way.

“We’re really thrilled to have this honour of naming the village after Bert, especially in Graham Road,” Patti said.

“Bert was a people person; he loved to make people happy and the quality of this beautiful village will do that.

“I’m on the search for memorabilia to have within the village so you can always see his smiling moon face.

“He never wanted to be forgotten, so now with the Logie named in his honour and this village, he’s doing well.”

Ryman Healthcare’s Victorian Sales and Community Relations Manager Debra Richardson said the company had been naming its villages after exceptional people for more than 30 years.

“First and foremost, this tradition is about honouring the contribution of that person and doing what we can to help preserve their legacy,” Debra said.

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“But it’s also about creating a unique identity for that village.

The village community becomes coloured by their character and imbued with the values that set that person apart.

“The individual that we have chosen to honour at our Highett village, is an Australian we all felt we knew, and we all couldn’t help but love.”

The Bert Newton Retirement Village at 32-40 Graham Road, Highett, will include independent apartments, assisted living in serviced apartments and an aged care centre.

It will have a gym, a bowling green, a hair and beauty salon, a chapel, a cinema, a bar, a café and an indoor swimming pool, among other amenities.

The village will be home to around 230 people when complete. The first residents are due to move in next year.

Pictured: Bert Newton.

Credit: David Caird

RESIDENT APP IS A GATEWAY TO NEW EXPERIENCES Residents across New Zealand are downloading Ryman’s new village app in droves with more than 600 sign ups already.

enhanced and the village team delivering the programme has been boosted with extra team members too.

The app is residents’ gateway to an array of enhanced resident experiences, and new users at Edmund Hillary were keen to give it a try.

The app draws all these activities together in one place.

Resident Doug Gibbon, who says he is not particularly tech savvy, was one of the first to book in a session. He said he was excited to use the new app.

“I do a lot in the village, bowls, movies, the walking and the workshop, so it will be good to have up to the minute information about what’s going on. I’m looking forward to it.”

The app is just one of the new initiatives being introduced throughout Ryman villages to refresh resident activities.

The activities and lifestyle programme has also been

Residents from Diana Isaac and Charles Upham had been involved in the design process to make it as user-friendly as possible so that even the least tech-savvy people could navigate it easily.

The app is also designed to store the village calendar of events.

Residents ‘save’ events they are interested in and then it creates a personalised schedule.

Group Resident Experience Manager Rachel Garrard is leading the team behind the app and the enhanced experience campaign.

“We love to delight our residents so for the past couple of years we have been working on some very exciting new initiatives,” she said.

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Edmund Hillary residents will also enjoy three new activities on their calendar a week. These include yoga, art or dance classes, learning a new language or musical instrument. Normal activities such as Triple A will continue.

The boosted resident experience team will also provide opportunities for activities and events outside the village.

“These could be going to the theatre, festivals, or short destination trips or sky diving or hot air ballooning – it depends on how adventurous you are,” said Rachel.

Village updates would also be sent using the app, which would prove a useful paperless alternative to the customary flyers, and for the virtual events programme, residents could join via the app instead of Zoom.

Pictured: Edmund Hillary residents learn more about the new app.

SIR JAMES WATTIE SCHOLAR TAKES ON THE WORLD Ryman Healthcare and The Eastern Institute of Technology’s (EIT) School of Business have awarded the 2022 Sir James Wattie Scholarship to local student Jessie Hawkes-Pearce at an event held in Havelock North.

entrepreneurs following their own vision in the footsteps of Sir James Wattie,” Cheyne said.

work for a business where there is a company-wide focus on the planet and people.

Jessie, a Bachelor of Business student, double majoring in business and management was awarded the $15,000 scholarship offered by Ryman Healthcare, in honour of visionary Hawke’s Bay entrepreneur Sir James Wattie.

Jessie (26) displayed all the qualities of a deserving winner of the scholarship’s namesake. She shared with the residents and guests her journey after leaving school to follow her dreams – graduating at the NZ Florist Academy, working on an organic cattle station in the Australian outback, to running her own online business selling reusable and plastic free products.

Jessie is a student representative on the Hawkes Bay Business Advisory Board and an ambassador for the School of Business. In this capacity she attended meetings with the Chamber of Commerce.

The award was presented by Cheyne Chalmers at the function attended by EIT Head of Schools of Business and Computing John West, family and friends of Jessie and residents of the James Wattie Retirement Village.

She has also worked full time as a wedding consultant and florist but decided to reassess her work during the first lockdown during the pandemic when she chose to commit to full time study at the EIT.

“Jessie is a deserving winner and we hope this scholarship will inspire her and other business students to go forward as future

Jessie said this degree has helped her to better understand that she wants to follow her core values – protecting wellbeing and one day

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Jessie is also immensely proud of her achievements as a mentor and manager of the Hawkes Bay Halberg Team, a community group she has been part of establishing for kids with limb differences.

The scholarship will enable Jessie to travel to Germany next year to continue her studies at Regensburg University.

Pictured: EIT Head of Business and Computing Schools John West, Jessie and Cheyne Chalmers.

RAVE REVIEWS WIN FOURTH AWARD PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS Ryman Healthcare has taken the top award in the Aged Advisor People’s Choice awards for the fourth time, and its Keith Park and Diana Isaac villages have also won top accolades.

The awards, run by agedadvisor.co.nz, are based on the best results across 10,000 reviews at 810 aged care facilities and retirement villages around New Zealand.

Ryman Healthcare was named Best Provider Nationwide in 2022, after reviewers gave its villages an average rating of 91% from 627 reviews. It’s the fourth time Ryman has been named the top provider in the awards.

Keith Park Retirement Village in Hobsonville was named best small retirement village in the North Island based on its reviews, and Diana Isaac Retirement Village in Christchurch was named best large retirement/lifestyle village in the South Island.

Cheyne Chalmers said the wins were the result of a lot of hard work by everyone in Ryman.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have won this recognition which comes directly from our residents and our visitors.

“Our residents and their families place a whole lot of trust in us.

So to receive such high ratings across the board by our residents and their families is fantastic – especially in the context of two years of COVID-19.

“Looking after people takes a lot of hard work, collaboration and care every day. I can’t thank everyone in Ryman enough for their care and professionalism.’’

Reviewers provided a range of feedback, with the most consistent praise for the team at each village and the care they provided.

Diana Isaac’s reviewers gave the retirement village a 95.6% rating, praising its team for going ‘above and beyond’ during COVID-19.

Reviewers of Keith Park described the team as ‘caring, considerate and empathetic’ and it achieved 100%.

Agedadvisor General Manager Tania Ryan said Ryman’s best group provider award was based on consistently high ratings across the majority of its villages.

Keith Park, which is still under construction, made history as the first village to win the top award in its category while it was still being built.

Earlier this year Ryman was named the Most Trusted Brand in the Aged Care and Retirement Villages category in a Readers’ Digest survey of New Zealanders for the eighth time.

Pictured: Nigel Matthews, CEO Aged Advisor, Cheyne Chalmers, and Tania Ryan.