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Cambridge Oaks
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Cambridge, Waipa

Cambridge Oaks

Cambridge Oaks Lifestyle Village Limited · minutes from Cambridge township · independent apartments, townhouses + villas for over 50s
Life Score
59
Good
Capital Back
48
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
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The village

Life here

Cambridge Oaks is a vibrant over-50s lifestyle village of 204 architecturally designed homes nestled just minutes from the quaint, bustling township of Cambridge. Residents enjoy a thoughtfully curated community centred around The Lodge—a purpose-built hub where morning coffee, pool games, movies, and BBQs with friends are all part of daily life. Here, you're free to live your way: lock up and leave whenever you like, enjoy the village's exceptional facilities, and benefit from genuine capital gains when you eventually sell your home.

Your home

Living options

Modern Homes to Suit Your Lifestyle

Choose from 204 low-maintenance, architecturally designed homes across three main types, each thoughtfully laid out for modern living.

✓ Villas: standalone properties with fantastic indoor/outdoor living and extra privacy
✓ Townhouses: flexible multi-bedroom options including duplexes
✓ Apartments: one-bedroom single-level units, ideal for downsizers
✓ Range from one-bedroom apartments to three-bedroom duplexes
✓ All homes are modern, low-maintenance, and thoughtfully designed
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Life at Cambridge Oaks is active and social, centred around The Lodge and village-wide amenities.

An Active, Connected Community

The Lodge is the heart of the village, offering spaces to gather, relax, and enjoy time with friends. From morning coffee to evening entertainment, there's always something happening. The village also embraces the 'lock up and leave' lifestyle—perfect for those who love to travel or explore nearby towns and cities.

✓ Communal lounge and library
✓ Boutique gym with exercise classes
✓ Self-service bar with happy hours
✓ Pool tables and darts
✓ TV & music facilities
✓ Community vegetable gardens
✓ Outdoor entertaining spaces and barbecue areas
✓ Social club activities
✓ Village van for outings
✓ State-of-the-art motorhome parking facility with hardstand, washdown, dump station and storage
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

The Lodge (community centre)
Communal lounge
Library
Boutique gym
Self-service bar
Pool tables
Darts
Barbecue area
Outdoor entertaining spaces
Community vegetable gardens
Meeting room
Resident mail room
Motorhome parking facility
Village van
24/7 security service
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

If your health changes, you won't have to leave the place you know. Cambridge Oaks offers these levels of care on site:

Independent
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Cambridge Oaks is perfectly positioned just minutes from the idyllic, vibrant township of Cambridge. The village offers easy access to the town's weekly farmers' markets, boutique shopping, and diverse dining options. It's also conveniently located as a hub for exploring beautiful North Island towns and cities, making it ideal for those who love to travel while maintaining a home base. The setting combines the relaxed charm of a country town with modern amenities and recreational opportunities.

Interested?

Like the look of Cambridge Oaks?

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Now the practical part

The money — what comes back to your family

You've seen why you'd love it. This is the part most families only discover at the exit statement — so we put it in plain sight. Every figure is from the village's own filed Disclosure Statement.

Capital Back score
48
Around average · #212 of 520
Better than 59% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
20%
charged on your entry price
Your share of capital gain
100%
you keep some of any uplift
Time to get capital back
~326 days
median, from 5 recent resales
Fees after you leave
Continue
charged until the unit resells
Before you sign, get independent eyes on the contract.An ORA-review lawyer or independent financial adviser — never paid by any operator — checks what it really means for your family.
⚖ Get independent advice →
How the 48 is built

Nothing hidden — every component

The Capital Back score is a transparent weighting of five filed terms — you can see exactly where this village wins and loses.

Move-in fee you don't get back Deferred Management Fee — weighted 30%
20% deferred fee — lower is better.
50
Share of capital growth Capital gain to resident — weighted 15%
You keep 100% of any uplift.
100
Speed your capital returns Median resale time — weighted 30%
326 days across recent resales.
60
Fees stop when you leave Weekly fees on exit — weighted 15%
Fees continue until the unit resells.
0
Interest if repayment is slow Interest on delayed capital — weighted 10%
No interest on delayed repayment.
0
The filed terms, in plain English

What the Disclosure Statement actually says

Every operator uses different words for the same thing — we normalise them so you can compare like with like.

%

Deferred Management Fee

20%

Accrues over your first 5 years, charged on the entry price.

Market: median 30%; only 16% of villages charge under 25%.
↑

Capital gain

100% to the resident

You keep a share of any increase in the licence value at resale.

Market: just 8% of NZ villages share any capital gain.
⏱

How fast your capital comes back

~326 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 107 days.)

Market: median 154 days; 21 villages still average over a year.
!

Fees & interest on exit

Watch this

Weekly fees continue until the unit resells.

Market: 220 of 520 villages keep charging weekly fees after you've gone.
Before you sign the ORA

The reckoning usually arrives too late

  • You're buying a licence to occupy, not the home — you can't sell, rent or borrow against it.
  • A large deferred fee is gone within a few years, whatever the unit later sells for.
  • Your family carries the risk of how long resale takes — and the operator's ability to pay.
  • None of this is hidden — it's all in the Disclosure Statement most people sign without reading.
Have someone independent read it first

We'll connect you with a retirement-village review lawyer or independent financial adviser — no operator pays to be here.

Request an ORA review → Talk to a financial adviser