About 240 people turned up to hear about Ryman Healthcare’s new village site in Havelock North, on a very warm day in the Hawke’s Bay.
The company held two public meetings at the Havelock North Function & Community Centre this afternoon to tell people all about Ryman’s offering and how fantastic our villages are.
Ryman’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Debbie McClure told the audience that the company that was founded in 1984 and listed on the NZX in 1999 had gone on to great things.
It was a company that was all about the care of its residents with a great group of staff members working in New Zealand and in Melbourne. It had won the Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brand award five times and supported the arts, various community groups and charities such as the Breast Cancer and Stroke Foundations in both New Zealand and Australia.
At Havelock North the first stage of townhouses was underway with the first residents due to move in, in August this year. Work would also get underway on the village centre, which would open at the end of 2021, and with aged care residents to move in during 2022, she said.
For those from the area that were interested the sales office would be open seven days a week at 94 Te Aute Road, Havelock North.
Two of the group’s residents from our Napier village, Princess Alexandra, spoke about their experience of both moving in and enjoying living in a Ryman home. The couple, Ed Porter and Janet Smith, said they had been pleased that the village had allowed them to bring in their pet dog, Leroy Brown.
Janet said she was a volunteer with Napier’s Age Concern, and had scouted retirement options in the city before deciding on Ryman. Ed, in the end, had been even keener than her to move in and they were both loving the beautiful gardens at Princess Alexandra.
New Zealand Regional Sales and Community Relations Manager Jane O’Connell revealed some of the townhouse and independent apartment options. Two-bedroomed apartments were priced between $615-670,000 and three-bedroomed were $745-770,000 with a weekly fee of $119 per week.
Some of those in the audience said they had already put a deposit down on a Ryman Havelock North village home.
New Zealand Regional Operations Manager Trudy Shepard talked about Ryman’s continuum of care and the great many Ryman innovations such as the Triple-A activities and exercise programme. She also spoke of Ryman having some of the best staffing levels in the industry, with professionals on hand 24 hours per day.
Having revealed she had now worked for the company for more than half of her life, Debbie also spoke her own family being fans of Ryman.
Finally, before inviting the audience to ask questions, Debbie asked the audience for their suggestions for famous people or local personalities to name the Havelock village after.
“We name all our villages after people who are respected and have often made significant contributions to the local area, or on a larger stage… so feel free to write down your naming suggestions.”
Audience questions focused on the ability to get GPs and what sort of drive in access there would be off the road into the new village. They were happy with the answers.
Keith Park residents keep kids safe at road crossing
A group of residents from Ryman Healthcare’s Keith Park Retirement Village in Hobsonville is taking action to help prima...
